


You Can Picani Family You Like

by DramaticGarbage



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Coming Out, Dad Picani, Gen, M/M, Panic Attack, a little yelling, a small bit of bullying, analogical - Freeform, brotherly prinxiety - Freeform, curse words, familial prinxiety - Freeform, foster care/adoption, implied pre-remile in epilogue, panic build up, royality
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:48:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 28,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25669972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DramaticGarbage/pseuds/DramaticGarbage
Summary: Emile finds himself in charge of two small boys who need somewhere to go. It’s going to be a learning curve for everyone.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Logic | Logan Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders
Comments: 175
Kudos: 253





	1. Chapter 1

_Riiiiing Riiiiiing_

“Hello! You’ve reached Dr. Picani’s office, this is Emile! … Oh hey! … …oh. I.. I see. … Of course, of course. Send me the case files. I’ll be ready by tomorrow. … Right, I’ll be there. … Yes, of course. Okay, see you in the morning. Goodbye.” 

That was the phone call that Emile Picani had received that changed absolutely everything. He spent that evening reading through every single word in those two case files, doing his best to prepare himself. …However in his line of work, he knew there was only so much you could actually do in that regard. 

He arrived bright and early the next morning at the social services building, making his way to his colleague’s office. The therapist knocked on the door before pushing it open, his heart not having been prepared for what met his eyes once he’d done so. 

His colleague was there, of course, but the two small boys who turned their large eyes on him when he opened the door nearly completely melted him into the floor. Seeing as he was the newest person to enter, and that he was a complete stranger, he was unsurprised when the larger of the two moved to put himself between the therapist and the smaller boy. 

Emile turned his attention to his colleague, the social worker immediately beginning introductions. But Emile didn’t need them, he knew exactly who was who after having read those files the night before. 

The larger boy was Virgil Osborn, only six years old. He was a bit on the thin side and while his skin was pale, his hair and eyes were strikingly dark. Emile had read he’d been removed from his home after his family had been deemed unfit to provide him with care. In the best case scenario, these situations were met with attempts to fix the problems at hand so the child in question could return home. In scenarios like Virgil’s… It was more than fair to say he would be needing a new home. 

Cowering behind him, two small fists balled up in the back of the larger boy’s hoodie for comfort and safety, was Roman Reyes, age four. He’d been in the system almost his entire life, and had already been to a few different homes. And, like Virgil, there was no where for him to go back to. He was looking up at Emile from beneath messy brown locks of hair, just dusting big green eyes that shone bright against his warm, bronze skin. 

Emile had been told these two little boys had glommed onto each other after spending some time in a group home setting and did not do well separated, which had made things a bit difficult as far as placing them somewhere new. A few of the workers saw this as nothing but inconvenient, but Emile immediately saw them for what they really were. They were brothers. He knew it and they knew it. And they were not to be separated. It simply wasn’t an option.

While the therapist had done everything he could think to do in preparation for a day like this one - having gone through all of the steps to become a registered foster parent, made sure he had some essentials in his guest room, taken CPR and other emergency training… Actually being face to face with these two little faces was a completely different story. 

Despite having just been introduced, it didn’t feel right not to say something himself. He carefully and slowly crouched down to their eye level, smiling softly and warmly. “Hello Virgil, Hello Roman. Like Ms. Hall said, I’m Dr. Picani. But you can call me Emile if you like, okay? I know this is all new and scary right now, but I’m here to help as much as I can. Ms. Hall and I are going to take you to go see my house and then if it’s alright with the both of you, you can come stay with me for a while.” He explained. 

Roman seemed surprised, his big shiny eyes seeming somehow even bigger as he peered around his older brother a bit and looked up at him questioningly, never letting his vice grip on Virgil’s hoodie go. Virgil was clearly more wary, something that broke Emile’s heart just that bit more - that he had had to learn to be this way at his age, but he slowly responded. “…Both of us? We.. _Both_ stay?” He asked, eyeing the doctor carefully. 

Emile nodded softly. “Of course, I promise. We‘re all going to go together so we can show you where you’ll be staying, if you want to stay with me. Is that alright?” 

The two boys looked at one another before looking back at him with little nods. “Okay.”

That had both the social worker and the therapist smiling, them explaining that they’d be riding with her over to his house. Once everyone was on the same page with the plan, they all set off. Ms. Hall got the boys into the car and then followed Emile’s car back to his home. He’d spent some of the evening before tidying up, wanting to make things tidy and nice, but not shockingly clean. The goal was to make things feel homey and welcoming without too much mess, not sterile and too pristine to touch. Thankfully with his warm colors, plentiful soft surfaces, pillows and blankets, it wasn’t too much of a task. 

Emile led the other three of them inside, carefully watching the boys’ reactions to their surroundings, but making sure not to stare. Once they looked to him, he gave another warm smile. “How about a little tour? It’s not too big of a place, but I do think you should know where everything is.” He received little nods in response and led them off. 

They were standing in the living room, the two adults watching as the smaller ones continued to take in the space. Emile’s house was obviously not something that they had been expecting. There was a stuffed animal here or there - a Stitch plush on the couch, a Pua on the armchair, some somewhat minimalist art on the walls that were all stylistically simplified characters with sayings - a notable one being the blue and yellow shape clearly meant to be Dory alongside “Just Keep Swimming” that was near the front door. Things like these were all throughout the home. The kitchen had playful towels and oven mitts, the shower curtain was an animated ocean scene, the bookcase in the dining room was home to only bright and colorful books - several of which appeared to be closer to their age range than Emile’s. His office was a bit more serious, with diplomas and certifications on the walls, and more serious looking books on the bookcase, but there was still that playful flair with his pens and a few more framed character prints. 

All throughout the tour, the two boys seemed to be looking around for something. Emile couldn’t place exactly what it was, but he could tell that they were expecting to find something specific as they were looking over everything around them. 

The final room they came to was the spare bedroom. It wasn’t as decorated as the rest of the house, though it still had that same warm, comforting color palette and soft, plush surfaces. “This is… Well, if you’d like to stay, at least for now, you’d share this room. There’s only one bed right now, but I’ll get another one as soon as I can so you can both have your own.” He gestured into the guest room. It was fairly plain, but warm and inviting enough to be comfortable. The boys walked in to look, peering all around the space and then back to each other a few times. Emile decided to continue. “I know it’s not very decorated right now, but I can take you to pick out some things to make it feel more like it’s yours’.” 

That seemed to surprise them both, two sets of eyes immediately gluing to Emile’s. Virgil spoke up again. “…We get to pick?” 

The therapist’s heart was threatening to melt once again. “Of course. It’s for you. You get to choose.” 

After another prolonged staring match between the two boys, they did eventually head back to the entry way, the social worker crouching down to speak to them both. She explained how they could leave right now if they wanted, but if they wanted to stay, she’d check in tomorrow and again in a week. And that Emile had her phone number if they ever wanted to talk to her or to leave. But even after double and triple checking, the two of them had decided to stay. …At least according to Virgil. Roman still hadn’t spoken up at all. 

Even still, the social worker said her goodbyes and headed out, leaving the boys with Emile. The three of them stood there a moment, not exactly sure what was going to happen next. But now that they were staying… They were definitely going to need to figure that out. 


	2. Chapter 2

The three of them stood awkwardly for a good few moments, Emile taking a few seconds longer than he’d have liked to admit to realize that he was in charge around here.“...Alright boys, are you hungry? If you want, we could have a little something to eat, and then go to the store to pick up a few things to start?” 

Two little nods later and they were settling at the dining table, Emile asking what kind of sandwiches they like and getting some simple lunches going. It was only as they sat down that they finally took off their backpacks, the therapist glad that they were doing at least a little something to make themselves more comfortable. He came over with some sandwiches and apple slices, sitting at the table to join them for the meal. They both looked a little surprised that he was eating the same thing that they were, all the way down to having cut off his own sandwich crusts and peeling the apples before slicing them. 

He hoped a little food might help get a bit of conversation going, it wasn’t going to be immediate by any means and he knew that, but he was still going to do his best to help them feel comfortable. They ate quietly for a bit, Emile trying to decide what a safe bet would be. Eventually his eyes landed on their backpacks. Virgil’s was plain and gray, worn and frayed - probably a hand-me-down from one of the houses he’d been too. But Roman’s was black with a lifesize football printed on it, the ball covered in flames to show how fast it was apparently going. 

“...So Roman, do you like sports?” He asked, looking at the little boy and then gesturing to his bag.

Those big green eyes were on him immediately, staring like he was too worried to respond. He glanced to Virgil like he’d tell him the correct answer. 

Virgil looked to Roman and then to Emile, the therapist was very quickly realizing that while Roman was very timid - more than likely due to his experiences, Virgil was more feisty. The older boy looked to Emile and immediately shook his head. “He doesn’t. At the last house he was at they wanted him to. He was only allowed to do boy stuff.” 

Emile blinked before softening a bit, looking back to Roman. “...I’m sorry, Roman. I’m never going to tell you what you can and can’t like, okay? I promise. You can like anything you want to, it doesn’t only have to be ‘boy stuff.’ That goes for both of you. I want you both to be happy.” The smaller boy seemed shocked at the revelation, once again looking to Virgil like he’d tell him whether or not the man was being truthful. Virgil was looking at Emile, still a bit wary, so he continued. “I don’t only like ‘boy stuff,’ I don’t even only like ‘adult stuff.’ You wanna know one of my favorite things in the whole world? Cartoons. I love cartoons.” 

They were both surprised, looking at him like he’d just said something outlandish. “...You do?” Virgil asked.

Emile hadn’t expected that level of shock, especially after the tour of his home. “...Yes, I really do.” He smiled, letting out a little laugh. “Did you two think all this stuff was someone else’s?” He asked, keeping his tone playful and expression warm as he gestured to the house. 

“...I thought you had a kid or something.” Virgil explained softly, Roman immediately nodding in agreement. 

Ah. That certainly explained that then. “Oh, that does make a lot of sense. But nope! Just me. All this stuff is mine, because I really like it. Having things around that I like makes me happy.” 

There was a long pause, the therapist giving the boys time to process. “...I like cartoons too.” Roman spoke up for the first time since meeting Emile, his voice small and hopeful. Even Virgil seemed surprised, but he nodded in agreement. 

“That’s wonderful! What cartoons do you both like?” Emile asked, looking to both of them. 

“I like the ones with the toys.. And the ones with the dinosaurs.” Virgil said, looking up at Emile.

“I like.. uh.. Kida, and Jasmine, and.. Jane..” Roman added slowly, but the therapist couldn’t be sure if that was nerves or him just trying to remember the names. 

“Those are all really good! Virgil, I do have all of the Toy Story movies, and I might have the dinosaurs, we just have to check and see if I have the ones you mean. I think I have a few others you might also like. And Roman, those are great characters! Do you like the other princesses too?”

Roman tilted his head to the side a little bit in confusion. “Other princesses?” 

Emile blinked, thinking. ...Right, “boy stuff.” He just smiled, seeing that they had just about finished eating. “I think I know a few movies you’re really going to like. ...Are you two just about ready to head to the store?” 

It took a little bit to get them mobilized, Emile had to get the two booster seats that the social worker had left set up correctly and safely in the back of his car and make sure they were both buckled in before he drove them off to the store. They picked up a few essentials - some more sheets, pajamas, some more clothes, some snacks... As well as a few.. Not exactly essentials, but definitely not non-essentials. Virgil had spotted a shirt with Jasmine on it as they passed the girl’s section, but Roman really liked it, so it went in the cart. Roman pointed out a Halloween themed picture book, Emile learning that Virgil had a favorite holiday. It also went in the cart. 

Emile didn’t plan on them going anywhere any time soon, but he made sure they each picked out a new backpack. Virgil had been immediately drawn to a black Nightmare Before Christmas bag, and upon learning the boy hadn’t seen it - he just liked the look of the characters, Emile mentally made a note to look up the age range of that movie. Roman picked out a red one covered in Mickeys and Minnies, Emile once again almost losing his composure when he saw the small soft smile of a little boy who’d clearly never gotten to pick out anything for himself before. The therapist was determined to change that. 

He made sure that the two of them were able to make more selections before they left the store, a few things they could put up in their room, a few toys and games.. Anything the therapist could think of to make sure the boys knew their wants were taken into account and fulfilled when they could be. 

It was an undoubtedly expensive shopping trip, but Emile didn’t care. He had two boys who needed to see that steps were being taken to ensure they could begin to feel like they had somewhere to call home. And that was priceless. 

They made it home and he had the boys help put their new things away, getting the clothes into their dresser and helping decide where the new decorations for their room should go. He set the two of them up with one of the board games they’d picked out, letting them play together while he put a few other things away, ordered them some pizza, and ordered that second bed for their room. 

The therapist was able to overhear the two of them laughing and talking, actually sounding like kids their age. A fond smile remained on his face as he let them have the time just together, knowing that they weren’t going to be as comfortable with him quite yet and wanting them to have this time. 

Eventually they were all a bit surprised out of their activities by a knock at the door, Emile going and getting the pizza and bringing it to the coffee table in the living room. As he went back to get them all drinks, he called out to the boys. “All of the movies are in that cabinet right there, do you two want to pick one out to watch with dinner?” 

Virgil and Roman scrambled out of their seats and over to the cabinet he’d gestured to, looking over all of the DVDs. Roman very carefully held out the case they’d picked to Emile once he’d sat the cups down on the table, the therapist smiling and getting it set up. The three of them settled in with their pizza, the adult smiling fondly as he watched the two small boys become transfixed on the disney film they’d selected. 

They ended up making it through two movies before it became clear that two small boys needed to get some sleep, Emile making sure that teeth were brushed and pajamas were on before they made their way into bed. He ensured they knew they could come to him for anything, that his door would be open, and let them know that he’d ordered the other bed so they wouldn’t always have to share. The two sleepy boys nodded, tucked in side by side. With a fond smile he wished them a good night, heart melting for the umpteenth time at the small good night he received in unison as he closed the door most of the way behind him on his way out. 

He took his time cleaning everything up, getting things put away, tidying up the blankets and dishes, taking a moment to consider the day they’d just had. It hadn’t been at all what he’d have thought he’d been doing if you’d have asked him 30 hours ago. Emile took a moment to sit down, jotting down a list of things he wanted to remember to touch on, things he felt he’d forgotten to pick up from the store, questions he wanted to ask the boys.. By the time he glanced up at the clock, he’d realized it was time for him to get to bed as well. 

Emile couldn’t help himself from peeking in on the boys before he made his way to his own room, pausing to look on fondly at the two boys who had fallen asleep snuggled up together in the bed. ...He definitely hadn’t expected this to be the day he’d have, but seeing those two there... He knew that all three of them were where they needed to be. And he was going to make sure that things only got better from here. No matter what. 


	3. Chapter 3

Things went slowly but surely from that point on. The first order of business had been ordering that second twin bed to put in the boys’ bedroom so they didn’t have to share. It arrived after about a week, but Emile quickly realized they were choosing to share anyway. He still wanted them to have the option, and he knew they’d out grow sharing sooner or later. 

It took a few weeks, but as the boys became more comfortable, their personalities really began to shine through. He never would have guessed it, based on the timid little boy he’d met, but Roman had a lot of energy. And the only thing more abundant than his energy was his imagination. He never hesitated to pull Emile and Virgil into extravagant games of make-believe, many of which were based on his new absolute favorite thing - Disney Princesses. Emile had been right, Roman adored every single one of them, every movie was his favorite one. They’d had to go back to the store to get a few things to enhance make believe time, but Emile wouldn’t hesitate to encourage that sense of wonder.

Roman was quick to tell them which princess they were when they played, and what adventure they’d go on. Virgil was nearly always Mulan, Roman clearly loved for his older brother to play the strong, protector role. He’d generally pick Rapunzel, or Jasmine for himself, Emile not sure if it had something to do with their looks? He did have the warm skin and those big green eyes.. But after a while he seemed to always want to be Cinderella, so that hypothesis went out the window. The therapist had been expecting to be given Ariel or Anna, easy ones to come up with when you looked at Emile’s red hair and blue eyes. But he was quickly a regular Merida, which would have been his next guess. He wouldn’t have thought much of it, but as Roman generally wanted Virgil and Emile to be the rescuers or the adventurers, it didn’t take long for Emile to realize that Roman saw him similarly to how he saw Virgil - a protector. Another heart melting revelation. 

Virgil wasn’t as outspoken as his younger brother, surprisingly. He never had any hesitation when it came to defending Roman or doing what he thought would help him in any kind of way, but when it came to his own likes and dislikes, he was simply a lot more subtle. He clearly enjoyed playing with his brother and almost never turned him down, but Emile could see that his preferred activities tended to be much quieter, things like watching movies or reading books. The therapist did his best to cater to his wants as well, even though Virgil was almost always going to agree with what Roman would suggest. But Emile had been finding that sometimes the best thing he could do for them both was setting them up with coloring pages or drawing paper, and letting them do as they like while a movie played in the background.

The older boy was also slower to warm up. With Roman, it had been like a dam breaking. He’d decided at some point that he was able to be himself, and now he just wasn’t going to hold anything back. Virgil was more like a trickling faucet. Eventually the output was adding up - Emile learning little things here and there, but it was slow going. Especially in comparison. One thing that was helpful was that it was summertime, so they were able to spend a good amount of time all together and get used to their new dynamic. 

School was going to start up soon though, thankfully they’d be going to the same one. Roman would just be starting kindergarten, while Virgil was going into second grade. So of course Emile took the boys to do some school shopping, and was there when they admitted they were both a bit nervous to start at this new school. He did everything he could to comfort them and help them actually look forward to something new, without trying to force them to be 100% on board with the idea. 

It had taken a lot of care and effort, Emile having shown them time and time again over the couple of months that they’d been together that he would support them and listen to them, but when they reached that first day of school, something happened that he knew he’d never forget. He had asked if they’d like him to walk them up to the school from the car, they both immediately did, so he parked the car and helped them out of their seats so they could walk together. 

As soon as they began to step away from the vehicle, he felt a small hand slip into each of his, causing the therapist to look down and see that there was a nervous boy on either side of him, both having taken one of his hands for comfort. He carefully gave their little hands a soft squeeze in reassurance, looking down with encouragement in his expression and led them through the parking lot and up to the front of the school. Once they were up on the sidewalk and just infront of the entrance, he knelt down to speak to them both. 

“Ok, boys. You can do this. I know it’s scary, but you two are going to have so much fun, and make new friends. I’ll be right here when you’re done, okay? It’s going to all be alright. I know you have this.” He said softly, looking at each of them. He stayed there with them until they were ready to go in together, him giving them an encouraging smile. The two of them gave each other one last look before they went to go inside, Emile watching them fondly. He had always loved how the two of them were in tune with each other to the point that they seemed to be able to speak without words. 

That was the thought on his mind that had somewhat distracted him from the scene before in front of his eyes, him shocked back to reality when he felt the two boys suddenly against him, giving him a hug. It took him a second before he slowly brought his arms up, giving them a hug in return and trying with all he had to keep his composure. It wasn’t an exceptionally long embrace, but they were clearly squeezing him with all their strength. They pulled away after a few moments, looking up at him, somewhat like they were checking that what they’d done was okay. The therapist had the softest smile on his face, reaching out to gently rest a hand on each of their shoulders. “...You’ve got this. I believe in you.” He said softly, them both nodding before they turned and made their way into the school. 

Emile waited a moment to make sure they didn’t come right back out, and then made his way to the car to get himself together before he drove to work. 

Did he tear up? Oh yeah. 

But he made sure he was right where he said he’d be when school let out, standing and waiting for those boys. They were both looking a lot calmer and happier now than when they entered that morning. They ran up to him, Emile once again kneeling to be at eye level when they got to him. Roman and Virgil rushed right into his arms once again, smiling this time. The therapist gave them both another little squeeze, his composure much more intact than the first time - though his heart was still equally melted. When they pulled away, he smiled back at them and stood. “Ready to head home? I want to hear about everything from your big first day.” He once again had hands slip into his, the three of them making their way back to the car. 

From then on, time began to move more quickly. Every moment was precious and meant so much to Emile, him realizing how much these boys meant to him... And maybe even, how much he also meant to them. 

Most of those moments became lasting memories, many of them good. Virgil losing one of his front teeth and Emile teaching the boys about the tooth fairy, finding out that neither of them had ever learned to ride a bike and doing his best to rectify that - that one also led to the magical healing power of kisses and Pokémon bandaids, the first time the boys fell asleep against him on the couch and he had to carry them to bed, their first trip to a theme park... The list went on. 

Some of them were a little less than good. Emile being called down to the office because Virgil had gotten into a slight altercation at recess - as soon as the therapist heard that, he knew something must have happened with Roman, as Virgil would never do something like that unprompted. And yes, it turned out that an older kid was giving the smaller boy a hard time for being on the ‘big kid’ side of the playground to be with his brother, and ended up getting shoved by Virgil. That one got cleared up easily enough, they were all very small after all. 

And some were a bit in-between. There was the bed-wetting incident, Emile only finding out because the two of them were hurriedly trying to hide the sheets - thankfully the therapist was able to intervene and explain that they never had to worry about him being upset about things like this, he wanted to help them and take care of them. He took the sheets, got them in the washing machine, and helped them change the ones on the bed they preferred to share, no harm done. The night that Virgil had a nightmare and came to Emile, timidly waking him and explaining he didn’t want to wake Roman.. But he didn’t want to be alone either. He ended up falling back to sleep in the adult’s bed after having a soft conversation and his tears wiped away. ...They discovered Roman alongside them when they woke up in the morning, so the therapist declared it a home day and together they made pancakes and hung out in their pajamas. 

There were also the big big moments.. Able to indulge in Virgil’s favorite holiday, their first Christmas together, their birthdays.. 

By the time they made it to the anniversary of the boys coming to the house, Emile was shocked by the amount of time that had passed. He decided to make a day out of it, to celebrate what he was now realizing was one of the best and most important days of his life. The day when everything changed... And commemorate the realization that he never wanted things to go back to how they were before.


	4. Chapter 4

Emile spent a decent amount of the night before their big anniversary preparing and figuring out the right thing to do. Should he ask them? Was it too soon? Was this too fast? Did he get too attached too quickly? Should he talk to their social worker before bringing this up to them? ...Who was he kidding, she knew him far too well. She’d probably been counting on this happening since the beginning. 

And if she did.. She was right. He’d completely fallen for these two. He wanted to be there for every tooth, every bump and bruise, every awkward phase and growth spurt.. Every birthday, every holiday.. He wanted to be there for graduations and big milestones. He wanted to be there for casual weekends at home and to help them when they needed guidance. To see them grow up happy and loved. To make sure they knew just how important and special they were. He.. He loved them. 

They were 5 and 7 now, it had only been a year and they were almost unrecognizable. They were smiley, happy boys. Sure, they weren’t perfect - Roman had a slight tendency to act out, Virgil could be a bit overly nervous.. But they were themselves. And as long as they were that.. They were perfect to him. Virgil was looking healthier, not overly skinny anymore - though he was still on the thinner side, with a front tooth that had only grown half way back in. Roman was a bit stocky, and he’d grown more over the year than his brother had, they were nearly the same height now. 

He’d planned a nice day for the three of them, taking them to the park to play and have a little picnic.. What he wanted to talk to them about was constantly on his mind. Thinking over how he could bring it up and ask them. They were smart boys, he had no doubt they’d understand.. It was just whether or not they wanted this too. He didn’t imagine they’d want to leave, but it was still not something he should just assume they’d be immediately on board for. 

There was one thing he was absolutely correct about though. They were very smart boys. They noticed him spacing out a bit while they sat on their blanket and had their park picnic. 

“...Emmee?” Came a small voice, bringing Emile back to the present. 

“Huh? Oh, sorry. Yes, Virgil?” He responded, looking back at the boy who was watching him curiously. 

“Are you okay?” Virgil asked, his expression melting into concern.

The therapist gave him a soft smile, nodding. “I’m just fine. Sorry, I think I just.. Got a little lost in my thoughts. But there’s nothing to worry about, I promise.” 

Emile hadn’t been expecting the look of worry... Or was that fear? That was on the small boy’s face, watching as Virgil looked back to his sandwich. 

“...Are you okay, sweetheart? You can tell me if something’s bothering you, I promise I won’t be upset, no matter what it is.” He tried, keeping his voice soft. He spared a glance to Roman, the younger boy looking to Virgil with an expression that looked just as concerned as Emile felt. 

Virgil seemed like he was pondering his options, deciding if he really wanted to say what he was thinking or if it would be better not to. Emile knew Virgil had more than his fair share of concerns, but he’d never seen him seem so worried about telling him what was on his mind. They sat quietly for a moment, not wanting to pressure the boy into speaking if he decided against it. 

It took what felt like an eternity, but eventually Virgil slowly turned back to look up at Emile, his eyes slowly filling with water. “Are.. Are you... G-gonna give us back?” 

The therapist physically jolted back a bit, not at all having thought that was the question on the boy’s mind. Another glance to Roman let the therapist know that he was equally shocked, but was quickly transitioning to the fear and sadness that Virgil was experiencing. 

“Oh, Virgil... What’s this about? I hope I’ve never made you feel like I was going to make you go anywhere, or that I didn’t want you.. If I have I’m so so sorry, I never ever want to do that.” His composure was slipping, but he was doing everything he could to stay strong. 

The older boy’s voice was soft and barely there, Emile thankful he managed to catch it at all. “....No one’s.. No one’s ever kept me this long. I.. I always have to go back. ‘specially with both of us.. I.. I don’t wanna go. I want us to stay.” 

The therapist immediately opened his arms for them. “...Boys, will you come here? Please?” He asked, trying to keep his voice from shaking. In no time flat he had the two of them, each one sitting on one of his thighs, his arms softly around each of their waists to give them support to sit up. “Thank you. I.. I just..” He had to take a moment to cough and clear his throat. 

“...I don’t want you to go back. Not now, and not ever. I.. Was planning on asking you two today if you wanted to.. To stay. Forever. If you’d be okay with the idea of.. Me adopting you. Both of you.” He said slowly, watching as they processed and understood what he was saying. 

In the span of time it took for him to have only one more heartbeat - and his heart was absolutely racing by the way, he was tackled backward into the grass. He went from sitting down and holding them loosely to laying on his back with both of them holding him as tight as they could. 

He was fairly sure that literally all of them were crying - crying and hugging and smiling and blubbering agreements and vows to always be together... They clearly were quite an emotional family. The key word, of course, being family. 

It took some time, them all staying in a cuddle pile for a little bit, before they eventually sat back up and Emile was able to talk to them about what would happen next. He’d be contacting Ms. Hall to get the process started, it would take a little while to get all the paperwork figured out, but he was going to do whatever it took to get everything squared away. The boys were all smiles, elated that Emile was willing to do so much just to be able to keep them. That he actually wanted to keep them. 

It would’ve normally taken a good few months, but with Emile’s connections and a few extenuating circumstances regarding how neither of the boys had contactable biological family, they were able to shorten that time down just enough to get everything finalized before they’d be starting school. 

Emile had very nearly teared up when he talked to them about whether or not they wanted to change their names, explaining how they all had different last names right now but if they wanted to they could change their’s to be the same as his. He also explained that they would then have the same as one another, which was a fact he definitely credited for a large part of why they so quickly agreed. Regardless, it wasn’t long before Emile legally had two sons, Virgil and Roman Picani. Not that he hadn’t seen them like that the entire time, but there was just something about the finality of it. The fact that they were there to stay, and that no one could take them. 

But the thing that actually made the therapist spill full-on tears was the first day back to school. Just like the year before, he walked up to the front door with a smaller hand held in each of his, kneeling down to wish them a good day and remind them he’d be waiting right there for them when they were done. They exchanged hugs before Emile stood and fondly watched the two boys start to walk toward the front entrance. 

Just before they disappeared through the door, they turned back, calling back to him. 

“Bye Daddy!” “See you after school, Papa!” 

All he could do was wave softly, happy tears spilling the moment the door closed behind the Picani brothers.


	5. Chapter 5

From then on, their little family began to really find their groove. They were settling in to the realization that they were officially a family, that they would always have each other, that they were going to be together, and no one was going to be able to separate them ever again. It led to many a spontaneous hug, sometimes from one of the boys, sometimes from their dad. 

Time really started to move more quickly, Emile finally experiencing what other parents meant when they spoke about how fast things went by when you had children of your own. When it had just been him, the years could slip by without much consequence or notice. Maybe he’d have to pick up a new work shirt here and there, or a impactful new cartoon would come out and he’d get a little something for his house. 

But now? He swore that Roman needed a new pair of pants or shoes almost every other week, and both Virgil’s style and his interests were ever evolving. They were still quite small, as far as age went at least - It wasn’t only rips and stains that kept Roman needing new clothes. They were 7 and 9 when they really couldn’t share that twin bed anymore, the younger brother finally making a more permanent move to the bed against the other wall of the room. Every so often, Emile would find that one had moved to be with the other at some point during the night anyway, the two of them squished up together in a bed that clearly did not have enough space for the both of them. But they were being there for one another, and their father could only be endeared.

It wasn’t long before the younger brother began to outgrow the older, it happening during the end of middle school. Emile had no doubt that Roman would definitely be the largest of their little family, he wasn’t all that tall himself and he was more than sure he hadn’t been anywhere near his younger son’s size when he was that age. A trip to the doctor gave Emile the information that Roman was sizing in around the 95th percentile, while Virgil was closer to the 40th. After an explanation about what that meant - the 50th percentile was average, below was smaller than average while above was larger, the therapist realized they were really going to need a new house sooner rather than later. 

The therapist started to look online, setting up visits to a few so all three of them could go and see them together. He certainly wasn’t going to choose one unless the boys also shared their thoughts and opinions. They walked through a good few before they found one that seemed just about perfect. It had a yard, a nice office for Emile, a good sized living room, they were able to stay in their same school district.. And when it came to the boy’s rooms, there were two that were connected by a long bathroom that they’d share. One of the rooms was a bit larger, but the other didn’t have a window that would face the rising sun. So in the end they called it a fair enough trade off, with Roman taking the larger room, and Virgil taking the one where’d be able to sleep in a bit later.

Emile was quick to order them new beds, tempted to get them in full size since it was a step up from the twin size they currently had. The doctor’s words echoed through his mind, the ones that said, “I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up around 6 and a half feet or so.” …So queen size it was. 

While many things had begun to change, many stayed just about the same. By the time Virgil was in his final year of middle school, he’d pretty solidly settled into a darker style. Which in his current grade, gave him just a little bit of a frightening edge around school. He still had his friends, but there was really anyone who gave him a hard time. However, a certain younger brother of his was right in the middle of a pretty awkward phase, something that did not make middle school a good time at all. Roman was larger than his older brother in every way, so he stuck out amongst the other 12 year olds like a sore thumb. He was active, still loving to run around and play, but he was sporting a healthy layer of baby fat - something Emile knew was his body gearing up for what would probably be an extremely impressive growth spurt. 

Unfortunately, seeing as Emile wasn’t at their school with them… Virgil continued to take matters into his own hands when they arose, just as he had always done. Roman never wanted his brother to potentially do anything dangerous for his sake, but there was something comforting about having a guardian angel who’d tell off anyone who gave him a hard time for his awkward size or cracking voice. It had never escalated beyond that, generally the kids would either all walk off, or a faculty member would show up and break up the argument.

Once, however, Emile was called down to the office because Virgil had actually been involved in something lightly physical with another student. There was a lot of argument between the two kids about who started what and who deserved what… But there was no one who could deescalate a situation like one Dr. Emile Picani. Even though there were admins trying to make sure no one left too angry, some upset parents, and frustrated students, Emile managed to calmly talk them all through it, helping everyone come to a consensus on how to proceed. 

Seeing as nothing too serious had really happened, the kids all got a talking to and the parents agreed they’d handle the situation as they saw fit. But if this happened again, it wouldn’t be taken as lightly by the school. Emile sat down with Virgil once they were home, them having a long talk about what happened and why, and about how they’d like to proceed from this point forward. 

Roman was giving them privacy, sitting on his bed until he heard Virgil moving around in his room. From there he only managed to wait about a minute before he’d gotten to his feet and walked through their bathroom to knock on the door that led to Virgil’s room. 

“Ro?” Virgil called from the other side.

Roman opened the door, poking his head into his brother’s room. “Hey Virge. Can I come in?” 

His older brother laughed a little. “Like I’ve ever stopped you before?” 

He also let out a light laugh. “You couldn’t even if you tried.” He smiled, walking in and going to sit on Virgil’s bed beside him. They sat quietly for a moment, Roman trying to find words. He eventually settled on, “…you really didn’t have to do that, you know.” 

Virgil gave Roman a look. “You know I’m never gonna stand by and let people mess with you.” 

“Yeah but like.. You got in trouble.” Roman countered. 

The older one scoffed. “You know Dad. I didn’t really.” 

“…What did he say?” 

Virgil sighed. “…He’s been talking to me about going to see one of his therapist friends for a long time. You know he’d never make me.. But he’s brought up how it might help with how I sometimes get all… You know.” He gestured vaguely. 

His brother nodded. “So he brought it up again? About this?” 

“Yeah.. He thinks this could all be connected or something. …I just don’t know how much I want to go talk to someone brand new about.. Stuff.” Virgil admitted slowly. 

“…well, it’s up to you. But you know he usually knows this stuff pretty well. Maybe he’s right. And.. If he isn’t, you could always just stop going.” Roman tried, looking over at him. 

“Yeah, he said that too.” He slowly leaned to the side, resting his weight against his younger brother. “…Maybe.. Maybe I’ll try. I’ll talk to him tomorrow about.. Maybe trying.” 

Roman brought up an arm, putting it around Virgil’s shoulders for a side hug. “I think it’s a good idea. And you know I’ve got your back.” 

Virgil finally smiled, glancing up at him. “…Yeah, I know.” 

The rest of the evening went normally enough, the boys coming down for dinner and spending some of the evening with their dad before eventually going to bed for the night. 

The next morning when Emile walked past his sons’ rooms, he noticed that Virgil’s bed was empty. Peeking into Roman’s room, he saw that he had at some point found his way into his brother’s bedroom, and that the two of them were still fast asleep in Roman’s bed. Emile smiled fondly. …Some things really did never change. And for that, he was glad.


	6. Chapter 6

Therapy ended up being a good thing for Virgil, even if he only maybe sort’ve kinda almost actually thanked his Dad - in passing, under his breath. But Emile still smiled, not pressing the subject as his older son escaped quickly into his room. He was just happy that his boy was getting to talk through some of the things that affected him. He’d made sure to reassure Virgil that his therapist would never tell him anything that happened in their sessions. That was between Virgil and his therapist. Emile would always be there if Virgil wanted to talk about anything, or bring anything to him, but he didn’t have to and no one else would make that decision for him. 

That was definitely comforting for Virgil, though he felt guilty that he had anxiety in the first place, not feeling like his dad or brother should have to deal with his irrational worries. There was no reason for him to even have anxiety. Sure, the first few years of his life were pretty awful, but he could barely remember all that much of it, and it’s not like anything had happened to him ever since he’d been adopted. He just hated it. He hated worrying about what people thought of him, or how people would react to things he did or said, or making phone calls, or the loud boom of thunder.. He just felt stupid. And weak. He needed to be strong.. Strong for Roman. He’d always been there for his little brother, and this was only getting in the way of the role he’d always filled. He needed to focus on real stuff, not whatever crazy thing his brain seemed hellbent on coming up with. 

Of course that was something that his therapist immediately tried to help him work on. He wasn’t weak, he wasn’t stupid, this wasn’t his fault, no one thought less of him for having to go through this. And even Virgil couldn’t deny that his dad and brother would argue to the ends of the Earth about every single one of those thoughts of his if they knew what was really on his mind. So it was a work in progress, to say the least. 

In the meantime, time continued to move forward. Virgil had transitioned into high school, despite not wanting to leave his brother at the middle school alone, especially not with how he was still occasionally picked on. Roman told him not to worry, of course. Assuring him that he’d be fine and his brother didn’t need to worry about him. Neither of them were willing to budge in that argument, not that much could have really changed anyway, so they simply began another year of school as always. 

The two years it took for Roman to finish middle school and join Virgil in high school seemed uneventful enough. Virgil was still going to his regular therapy sessions, and Roman was really starting to grow out of his awkward preteen stage. Neither of them liked school all that much, but they were teenagers, it wasn’t exactly weird. 

The main difference between Virgil entering high school at 14 and Roman doing the same, was that Virgil was a bit on the small side for his age. While on the other hand, on Roman’s first day of high school he walked through the entrance for the first time at just about 6 feet tall. He was noticeably taller than his dad and his brother, and even most of his teachers. And now that his little brother was back in the same school as him, Virgil was back to his usual routine of trying to keep an eye out for him. 

He kept an eye out for him at lunch or if they ever passed each other between classes, luckily it wasn’t hard to spot him. Thankfully Roman seemed to be having a much better time in high school than in middle… Though the younger brother quickly learned that the same wasn’t exactly true for Virgil. 

It was a month or so into the school year when Roman rounded a corner to see a larger student cornering his brother against a locker. He barely managed to make out some comment about “ _you tiny fucking emo_ ” before his legs began to move of their own volition. Next thing he knew he’d yanked the other student, who was probably at least three or four years older than him, away from Virgil by the backpack and had him up against the lockers on the other side of the hallway. 

Those green eyes were full of fire as he stared down at the other student, getting right up in his face and watching him shrink down under his gaze. Roman laughed humorlessly at the sight of him cowering back from him, bringing a finger to press against his chest before speaking through gritted teeth. “What? You don’t like when someone bigger than you has you pinned? _Hilarious_. Maybe you should have thought harder about that.”

Virgil was in shock, he’d never seen his brother do anything like this. Not even once. He slowly stood up straight and watched Roman’s back, unsure what to do in this moment. He did eventually manage to find words. “…Roman, don’t.. He’s not worth it.” 

His younger brother glanced back at him from over his shoulder but quickly turned back to the older student. “If you _ever_ come _anywhere_ near him again, you are going to answer to me. Understand?” All he got in response was a shaky nod before he huffed and stepped away to stand beside Virgil, glaring as the other student fled from the hall. 

Roman’s heart was racing, his chest nearly heaving from how angry he was. Once they were alone he turned to his brother. “Did he put his hands on you? Because I _swear_ I’ll-”

“ _Roman_. No, he hasn’t. I’m fine. You don’t need to d-” He cut him off, but Roman quickly returned the favor. 

“Virgil. No. I’m not letting anyone do that to you. You’ve always had my back and you better believe I’m gonna have your’s. And I swear if this has been happening for a long time, I’m gonna-”

“Ro.. Please. Just.. Please don’t make a big deal out of it, okay? I don’t want the school to find out… I don’t want Dad to find out.” He said slowly, looking up at him, his gaze a bit shaky and nervous. 

The younger looked down at his brother, reading his gaze before sighing softly. “…I’m not going to say anything. But I’m not gonna stand back and let anything happen to you either. That’s all I can agree to.” 

Virgil nodded. “…Fair. Thanks, Ro.” 

He pulled his brother into a tight hug. “Of course, Virge.” 

Roman was a bit on edge from that point on, still thinking about what had happened through the rest of the day, it still fully on his thoughts by the time they finished school that day, went home, and were sitting at the dinner table with their dad. 

Emile didn’t know what it was on his sons’ minds, but there was clearly something. All he could really do was smile as he always did, warmly giving them the space to talk. “So how are you boys doing? How was school today?” 

Virgil did everything he could not to dart his eyes to Roman, he knew his dad would pick up on that immediately. So he kept his eyes down on his meal, shrugging nonchalantly. “Eh, fine.” 

“Mm.. And how about you, Ro? Anything interesting?” He asked, turning to his other son. 

He brought in a breath to speak, Virgil’s heart racing a mile a second. But Roman just shrugged as well. “Not really.. Coach is really trying to get me to join the football team. …I’m thinking about it.” 

Emile raised an eyebrow while Virgil just let out a slow steadying breath. “You are? Ro, you’ve never liked sports. You know you don’t have to just because the coach wants you to, right?” 

“Yeah, I know.. But the team has their own specific PE class. It would be like a free period that’s basically a graded gym membership. I’ve always liked PE, so maybe I’ll give it a shot. And I’ve heard all the best workout equipment is in the gym off the field that the football players use.” Roman explained, looking up from his dinner. 

Their dad let out a soft breath of laughter, fondly shaking his head. “As long as you’re happy.” 

He smiled, nodding. “Don’t worry, Pops. I’ve got it figured out.”

Dinner continued on as usual, the boys helping clean up before retiring up to their rooms to do homework and eventually go to bed. 

It was late that night, Emile undoubtedly asleep, when there was a soft knock on Roman’s door from the shared bathroom. He was thankfully still awake, having been laying in his bed, somewhat unable to sleep. “…V?” 

The door slowly cracked open, Virgil poking his head in. “H-hey, can I come in?” 

Roman smiled, scooting over in his bed to make room and opening his arms for his brother. “No.” 

That made Virgil laugh a bit, him slipping inside and sliding into his younger brother’s bed, letting his face fall against his chest with a long sigh. Roman pulled him in to a hug, giving him a slight squeeze. He’d learned over the years that some pressure helped his brother when he was feeling anxious.. Something about grounding? He’d read it somewhere he was pretty sure.

“…You okay, Virge?” Roman asked, looking down at him from where he’d face-chested into him. 

He mumbled something unintelligible, not bothering to move. 

“Ah, I see. Enlightening.” 

Virgil groaned, leaning back so just his forehead was against his large brother. “…I said thank you. And I’m sorry.” 

Roman raised an eyebrow, confused. “For what?” 

“For not saying anything to Dad… For needing you to take care of me..” He mumbled.

“Hey hey hey. You stop that. You know I’ve got your back.” 

“Yeah but.. I’m supposed to look out for you. And you had to come do that today and-” Virgil started. 

Roman quickly gave him another tight squeeze. “No. You have my back and I have your’s. That’s how this works. I know you’d still do the same for me, I just was able to return the favor today. That’s how this works.” 

Virgil sighed. “But..” 

“No buts. None. Let me look out for you. You’ve always done that for me. And I’m finally able to do it for you too.” Roman said, adamantly. 

They were quiet for a while, Roman not sure if his brother had already fallen asleep. But after a while, he heard a soft, “…okay. Thank you.” 

The younger brother just smiled. “Of course. Always.” 

They did eventually fall asleep, Emile smiling fondly as always when he saw them there in the morning. 


	7. Chapter 7

Thankfully for everyone, especially the people who would’ve brought on the wrath of one of the Picani brothers, there weren’t really any more issues that year. The brothers were as close as ever, still looking out for one another and keeping an eye on people they thought might cause problems. Of course things weren’t perfect all the time, that just wasn’t really how family worked. 

Virgil had been having a sort of off day, he was on edge and a little touchy, seeming like something was on his mind. He never spoke up about it, or brought it to his dad’s or brother’s attention, but they were both very aware that something was going on. When they were leaving the dinner table, Emile and Roman shared a bit of a look, silently agreeing that the youngest Picani would be the one who would check on him. 

Roman gave Virgil a little while to be alone, hoping he was alright.. But he only had so much ability to hold off his curiosity and concern. Without thinking much of it, at some point he stood from his seat on his bed and walked through the bathroom and pushed Virgil’s door open. 

The elder brother was laying back on his bed, looking through his phone. But as the side door to his room swung open, he hurriedly closed whatever it was he’d been looking at and dropped his phone beside him, nearly throwing it away in his haste. 

That gave Roman pause, not having expected that sort of reaction. Virgil immediately looked up at him, cheeks reddening but expression clearly annoyed. 

“ _Dude_! What the fuck!” He yelled, swinging his legs over the side of his bed and sitting up.

“…Oh, Uh.. I just wan-” Roman startled, still surprised. 

“Can’t you knock? _Seriously_. Get out of my room.” Virgil scowled, gesturing for him to shoo.

“I just was g-” He tried again, instinctively taking a back step into the bathroom.

“I don’t care! Get out!” The older brother popped to his feet, pointing angrily back into the bathroom. 

Not really knowing how to react, Roman took another step back before turning and going, hearing the door to Virgil’s room close hard before he even made it fully into his own room. …Well that certainly went well. 

He didn’t know what to do now, he did kinda barge into Virgil’s room but.. That had never really been an issue before? He guessed he did usually knock? But still.. He settled back on his bed, going through his phone and sending a text or two before just playing around and killing time before bed. 

Maybe an hour or so later, there was a very soft, almost tentative sounding knock on his door coming from the bathroom. “…Yeah?” 

The door opened slowly, Virgil nervously poking his head inside. “… _Heeeeey_ , uh.. Lil bro?” 

Roman raised an incredulous eyebrow higher than he would have believed was physically possible. “….ok, so for one, literally zero people talk like that. For two, you are the size of one of my legs on a good day. And for three, how does one test for body snatchers because that was weird. Who are you and what have you done with Virgil?” 

Virgil let his head fall back, letting out a somewhat pitiful groan. “Shut up. I’m stressed, okay?” 

“…ok, that did sound a lot more like him, but I’m not completely convinced. What’s Virgil’s… Uh.. Virgil’s favorite Disney movie?” Roman asked.

He gave him a look, crossing his arms. “Black Cauldron. No songs. It’s perfect.” 

The younger nodded, satisfied, but still let out a long suffering sigh. “Now _there’s_ my uncultured sibling.” He paused for a moment, it taking a bit for him to remember how this conversation had begun. “… _Oh_ , uh.. Did you want something?” 

Virgil stood there awkwardly, shifting his weight back and forth from foot to foot. “…I wanted to, uh..” He let out a long sigh. “…Apologize. I’m sorry, alright? I shouldn’t have yelled at you, or whatever.” 

Roman sat up, leaning back against the wall. “..I mean, I guess I usually knock. I probably should have done that.”

“…yeah, but like.. It wasn’t that big of a deal. I didn’t need to freak out..” 

“You’ve been kinda having a rough one today, I figured it was like.. The straw that broke the camel’s back, or whatever.” Roman shrugged. 

Virgil sighed, dropping his shoulders dramatically and tipping his head back once again. “Yeah, but like.. I didn’t need to take it out on you and I should’ve p-”

“Virge. It’s fine. I appreciate the apology. It’s no big deal.” Roman softly raised an eyebrow, not sure why Virgil was dragging this out. Usually they’d get these kinds of things out of the way and then laugh them off. 

“No, it is. I.. Wasn’t expecting you to come in and I was.. In the middle of something and, uh..” Virgil went back to shifting his weight back and forth. 

“…V, it’s fine. I’ll knock. I didn’t mean to freak you out. I’m not trying to like.. I don’t know. Snoop in your stuff or anything. I just wasn’t thinking and popped in.” Roman tried again, not sure why he seemed so uncomfortable. 

He looked at his younger brother for a long moment, considering. “…..I was worried you saw what was on my phone, okay? I.. Didn’t know if I needed to explain myself.” 

That had the younger Picani extremely curious, but he did what he could to keep it off his face. “…I didn’t.” 

“….oh. Uh, alright then.” 

They looked at each other awkwardly for a good long moment. 

“…..So, uh.. We good?” Roman asked, tilting his head to the side. 

Virgil looked over him a bit longer before slowly walking into the room and sitting down on the edge of Roman’s bed. Roman still wasn’t at all sure what was going on, deciding after a minute to scoot away from the wall and sit next to him. They kept quiet for a bit, one contemplative, one confused. 

It was another few minutes before Virgil quietly spoke. “…Ro?” 

“Yeah, V?” 

“…I’m, uh.. I’m gay.” He eventually managed. 

Roman blinked, somewhat surprised. “…oh. Is.. Is that what you were so worried about me finding out? Just.. Before you were ready to tell me?” 

“…Yeah.” Virgil nodded, not looking at him. 

“…Virge, you know I’m here for you no matter what, right? Like.. I’m sure this was hard to do but.. I’d never not be in your corner.” Roman said slowly, watching as Virgil slowly turned to look up at him, searching his gaze before leaning in and hugging his younger brother tight. Roman just hugged him back, giving him time. 

Virgil’s voice was soft by the time he pulled away. “I.. I know that. I just.. You know how I am, and.. I just couldn’t be sure and.. I hope you don’t think that I didn’t think you’d-”

Roman reached over and softly poked his brother directly in the center of the forehead, smiling. “Hey, don’t you worry about me not being on your team. No matter what.” 

Virgil finally let out a breath of laughter, looking up at him “…Okay, okay. I know.” 

“Good.” Roman smiled, pulling his hand away so they could go back to awkwardly looking at each other. Luckily, his phone vibrated after a few moments, interrupting the . 

“ _Oh thank god._ ” Virgil laughed, looking down as Roman pulled his phone from his pocket. “Who’re you texting?” He asked, thankful for anything that would change the topic. 

“Uh… My math teacher is making me work with a tutor. So I’m texting him to figure out when he’s gonna try and get me to understand numbers and shit.” Roman chuckled a little, responding to the message. 

His brother nodded. “I didn’t know you were having issues with math. What’s the problem?” 

“I just can’t ever remember what’s what and what goes with what. Like uh.. Cosine and… The other one.” Roman gestured vaguely, still texting. 

“…The other _one_? Ro, there’s two other ones.” 

“ _Fuck_. Really?” Roman looked up at him from his phone.

Virgil finally laughed, finally feeling tension leave his body. “…God, your tutor really has their work cut out for them.” 

“Oh shut up.” Roman groaned, grabbing a pillow and whacking him with it before letting himself fall back on his bed, glad that things were back to normal… And dreading this tutoring session. 


	8. Chapter 8

Roman had been doing a lot of thinking since Virgil had come out to him. Of course he supported him, that was never a question. And of course he was there right behind him when Virgil decided he was ready to tell their Dad. ...And he certainly didn’t miss the hugs and ice cream that came after that happened. But it was more about... What was it that Virgil had figured out? How did he come to this realization? 

The thought process there distracted him a good bit of the time. He considered it while he did his bench presses in his football PE class, he considered it while he ate his nonsensically large lunch in the cafeteria, he considered it when he was in his math class... That last one was definitely not great, but his scheduled time with his tutor was that Friday, so hopefully he’d be able to figure that out then. It was Thursday night when Roman broke, and found himself knocking on Virgil’s door. 

“Yeah?” Virgil answered from in the room. 

Roman pushed the door open, poking his head in. “Hey, V. Uh.. You have a minute?” He watched his older brother immediately grow more stressed as soon the words left his mouth, and he quickly brought his hands up to try and quickly wave that away. “No, no no. About me, you’re good. I just... Uh.. Wanted to ask you..” 

Virgil let out a breath, cursing how well Roman knew his tells. But he tried to play it off. “..What? For sage older brother wisdom?” He asked, smirking. 

He rolled his eyes, walking into the room and tossing himself down on the end of Virgil’s bed. “No, shut up.” 

Virgil laughed, sitting up more to lean back against his headboard. “Alright, then what’s up?” 

The younger brother stared up at the ceiling for a long moment, slowly sitting up to slide deeper into Virgil’s bed and lean back against the wall. “.....How did you figure out.. The whole, uh.. The whole gay thing?” He asked, seeming a bit apprehensive. 

That was definitely not what Virgil had been expecting. “Uhh... Like.. Like how do you mean? Like.. What made me realize? Or..” 

Roman nodded. “Yeah, like.. How were you sure? How did you know.. That’s what fit you?” 

“...Ro, I just have to ask. Are you.. Questioning yourself? Or are you trying to understand me?” Virgil asked slowly, a bit worried. 

He quickly shook his head. “No, sorry. I’m.. I’m not sure what my..” He gestured vaguely. “... _Whole deal_ is.” 

That definitely helped Virgil calm down a bit. “...okay, have you looked into terms and stuff at all? Sometimes it’s easier to start with what you aren’t.” 

Roman shook his head, and ended up laying side by side with Virgil, him showing him terminology and helping him learn. He’d also explained this was what he’d been doing for himself when Roman surprised him, which did explain some things - most of the pride flags he saw were pretty unmistakable. He didn’t come away from that having figured himself out, but he did feel better. He had an idea of things and options and terms he’d never heard of. So now it was just figuring that out.

He was beyond thankful that he had Virgil to go to for things like this. His older brother was so much better with words. He could explain things well, in a way that made a lot of sense to him. Roman had always felt like that was something he wasn’t as good at doing. Whenever Virgil had come to him, he knew he was physically comforting. He’d give him a hug and make sure he knew he wasn’t alone... But Virgil just had a way of explaining things. He really wished he was better at that. Virgil deserved to have someone in his corner who could do that for him.

But he couldn’t worry about any of that right now, he did really need to figure out math. So, after school on Friday, he headed to the study room his tutor had reserved, sitting down at the table to pull out his notebook, a pencil, and some old quizzes and tests. 

“Roman Picani?” Came a crisp, strict sounding voice from the doorway. His head snapped up to find the source, the commanding tone enough to immediately make him feel like he needed to pay attention. 

Before him was another student, older than him by a year or two he assumed, with very sharp glasses. Sharp felt like the word to describe most things about him, actually. His gaze, his demeanor, his jaw and cheekbones... It was like a marble statue had come to life and had shown up to try and explain what a polynomial was. But he was also somehow staring right through him, as though he was judging his actual thoughts. Roman couldn’t bring himself to doubt that that those piercing blue eyes had that ability, and something about his expression said he didn’t like the view.

It took the younger student a moment to realize this would be the point at which he should respond. “....oh, uh.. Yeah. That’s me. You’re Logan, right?” 

The older student nodded as he stepped into the room and closed the door behind him, settling down at the table beside him. “Yes. Logan Whittington. I was assigned to be your tutor. Algebra 1, correct?” 

Roman nodded a bit dumbly, glancing down to his notebook and assorted papers. 

“Alright, that should not be a problem. What is it you are struggling with?” Logan asked, having to look up at Roman now that he was also seated. 

“Umm... I mean, a bit of everything, if I’m honest.” He answered, looking back at the tutor sheepishly. 

Logan nodded once more, slowly pulling some of what Roman had pulled out to glance through it. “That is completely fine, we can start with a basic overview and see where it is we need to focus in order to help you understand what’s causing you trouble.” 

The younger student was a bit surprised, for some reason he expected Logan to be frustrated or annoyed with him for needing so much help... Maybe resting unimpressed face was just a concept he hadn’t experienced before. But Logan was honestly really smart. And not in the way that he felt his teacher was. His teacher made him feel like if he didn’t understand it the way that everyone else did, he was wrong. Logan had a way of explaining things that actually made a lot of sense to him. When Roman asked questions or expressed concern or confusion, his tutor would stop and listen. If one method didn’t make sense, he could almost always find another way to explain it, and he didn’t move on until Roman was ready to. 

By the time their session ended, Roman was honestly feeling a lot better. Logan had agreed to do several sessions with him, and if they went as well as this one did, he was cautiously optimistic that he’d start doing a lot better in his class. He was actually able to speak more freely with his tutor a bit as they left the study room and then the library, Roman felt like he definitely had gotten the wrong impression of Logan to start with. Sure, he was right about him looking like a living marble statue, and maybe he was a little dry.. But he was a good guy. He was helpful and caring, and he listened. And when he spoke he made sure his words got through. 

They walked together for a bit, eventually reaching a point where they the needed to go in different directions. Roman waved as Logan turned and walked toward the parking lot, smiling from the pleasant conversation. But once the older student was fully facing the other way, Roman noticed something. There were a couple pins on Logan’s backpack. ...Was that one a pride flag? Which one was that? He didn’t remember seeing that one before. ...Oh, he had some things to look into. _Oh_.. This may be perfect.


	9. Chapter 9

Roman spent a decent chunk of his walk home looking at his phone as he googled pride flags. He was sure if he found it, he’d recognize it. He was pretty sure it had been green and blue... Or was it teal? Turquoise? ...What was the difference between teal and turquoise? 

With his long strides, it was no time at all before he’d gotten home. He was still looking when he made it to his room, not noticing that he’d walked right past Virgil. ...Wait was this the one? 

Virgil had raised an eyebrow at the contemplative look on his brother’s face. He knew that Roman knew how to read his tells, but Roman himself was like a large print book left open on a table with a magnifying glass resting on its pages. “...You good, Ro?” He asked, leaning back against the hallway wall. 

His gaze snapped up to find Virgil there. “Oh, uh.. Yeah. I uh.. What’s mlem mean?” 

The elder brother somehow looked even more incredulous. “ _Mlem_? Like... The sound when cats stick their tongues out on the internet?” 

“No, no like.. Like this.” He turned and showed him his phone with the flag he’d found and it’s label.

“Oh. It’s MLM, Ro. You don’t pronounce it, it’s an acronym. It’s men loving men. Like... Gay.” Virgil explained, adding in a gesture to himself for example. 

“...Oh. I thought gay was the rainbow one.” 

“The rainbow flag is like... More all encompassing. This flag is more specified. So that MLM can have their own flag. It’s not strictly gay, but it does mean like, male aligned interested in male aligned.” He continued to explain, watching as it clicked in Roman’s head. “...Did you stumble on it somewhere? Or is this something you’re considering?” 

Roman blinked, not wanting to get ahead of himself quite yet. “Oh, no I just saw it and didn’t know what it meant. ...I don’t think that’s me, anyway. It doesn’t.. I mean, I’m definitely.. Well..” 

Somewhere during Roman’s mumbled rambling, Virgil pulled him into his room so they could settle on his bed and talk. It began easily enough, the elder brother trying to help the younger by asking him a few questions. Partway through, Roman realized he might also be able to use this time to learn some things about Virgil. 

They’d been talking for a bit when Roman flopped backward onto the bed with a dramatic groan and looked up at Virgil who was still sitting up. “I don’t feel like I’m getting anywhere.”

“...Ok, why don’t we try this from a different angle?” Virgil said, Roman immediately getting a flashback to his tutoring session. 

“How do you mean?” 

“Well, I don’t know. ...Would you be up to being with someone? Would you like to be? Like, dating and all that romancey stuff?” Virgil asked, leaning back against the wall. 

“...yeah? I guess so, it sounds nice?” Roman agreed. 

“Ok. So like... Who? Has there been anyone you’ve seen, like around school or.. I mean, even online or just anywhere, that you found attractive? Like.. That you’d want to potentially be with?” He asked, watching Roman think. 

“...Like, can you give me more of an example? ...How do you know what you like?” He asked, looking up at him. 

The older brother blushed, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “...I don’t know...” He grumbled a bit, not the most excited about comparing ‘types’ with his brother. “...I guess... It’s like.. What are you drawn to and what sticks out to you? Are there features you like? Like, uh.. Light eyes and strong features? For example. _Random_ _example_. Uh. Or uh.. Things about their personality. Maybe.. Smart and witty? Or strong, in like a confidence kind of way. _But these are just super random examples, don’t uh_.. Anyway, back to you, what do you think?” 

Roman nodded, not reacting to what Virgil had just said, but definitely banking that information for later. Play it off. Be subtle. “...Ok, so in that same vein... I guess I like.. I don’t know. Cute? There’s this girl in my english class who’s pretty cute.. She wears sweaters and ribbons and stuff that I think look nice on her. ...But there’s this guy in history who’s also cute? I like.. Like his hair looks soft and he’s just really sweet..” He kind of rambled. 

Virgil blinked. ...Wait. “Okay, that’s good. Do you.. Like if you were going to ask one of them out. Would you have a strong preference for one over the other? Just to go on a date with?” 

“...I guess not, when you put it that way.” Roman asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Alright.. So why not ask one of them out?” 

“Oh, no. I couldn’t do that. They’re both... I don’t know. Too little.” Roman said, a bit offhandedly.

“Too little?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah. Since I’m so big, and Pops says I’m not even done growing, I wouldn’t want to date someone and worry about like.. Squishing them or hurting them or something.” He explained. 

“....So. Your type is like, anyone, as long as they’re cute, but not too small. And I’m guessing you don’t know anyone right now who fits that, because you’re an orc.” 

Roman rolled his eyes. “I was with you until that end bit.” 

“Ro, I think you might be bi or pan. They’re similar, but they resonate differently with different people. And you just haven’t met anyone who you think would work for you because you’re the biggest person to walk the face of the planet.” Virgil said, smiling and picking up a pillow to whack him with. 

The only response he gave was yet another eye roll, huffing. He sulked for a moment, but did eventually turn to look back at Virgil again. “...So what’re those two again?” 

Virgil smiled more sincerely, pulling out his phone and waving him closer. “Come on, I’ll show you the thing again.”

They spent the rest of the time before dinner together, Roman definitely feeling like he’d made a huge stride in figuring out what may suit him. He told Virgil he’d feel it out and get back to him, and his brother was definitely proud of him.

Things continued on smoothly from there, Roman’s grades coming up over the next several weeks thanks to his regular tutoring sessions with Logan. The older student was extremely helpful and supportive, very proud of Roman’s strides forward with the subject. It got to the point where he wasn’t sure that the younger student needed quite so much assistance, but they’d developed a routine of still working on things together, even if it was them both working on homework and Logan just being there to answer questions if they came up. 

One day as they were leaving, Roman looked down to Logan as they walked out of the library, glancing at his backpack for a moment before looking back to him. “...Hey Lo?” 

“Yes, Roman?” He answered, looking up to him.

“I wanted to ask you, where did you get that cool pride pin on your bag?” He asked, curiously. 

“I have a friend who makes and sells them. She even has more of the slightly less common flags, which is rather nice.” Logan explained. 

“Oh that’s really cool. ...Does she have a website or something? I’d love to get one.” Roman smiled. 

“I think her shop is down right now, but if you like I can ask if she has any that you could get from her in the meantime. Which flag were you looking for?” He explained, pulling out his phone. 

The taller student smiled a bit wider, having spent time deciding and having found what he felt was right. “Pansexual. ...Oh! Actually, I’d love to get one for my brother too.” 

Logan nodded, starting to type a message. “Do you know which flag he’d like?” 

“...I’d actually need to ask him. I’ve only ever seen him with the rainbow one? But I didn’t know about the flag you had until I saw it on your bag, I’m not sure if he’d like that one too. So I’d want to be sure.” He explained. 

“Ah, yes. Not as many people know the MLM flag, but I prefer the calmer color palette. If you want to ask him, you can text me the answer and I’ll let you know what he says.” 

Roman laughed a bit. “You two definitely have a similar taste in colors. And that sounds perfect. Thanks, Lo.” 

“Of course.” 

Roman was being honest about all of what he said, but he couldn’t deny he knew that planting that bit of knowledge in the smart student’s brain was a welcome addition to his little plan. From there, Roman waited another two weeks before asking if Logan would be okay with their usual study session being at the Picani house, knowing that due to a long weekend - the library would be closing right after school that day. 

Logan had no problem with the plan, and after school that Friday, the older student gave him a ride home and they went inside and got to work. Things were par for the course for about an hour, but then they heard a key in the lock of the front door. 

Roman glanced up at the time, knowing it would be Virgil getting home from his therapy appointment. He gave himself a moment to internally prepare, making sure to keep a conniving little smile off his face. 

Virgil came inside, locking the door behind him before turning around and seeing the two at the table. Logan had looked up at the sound, and Roman took the time to begin introductions. 

“Oh hey, V. This is Logan, my tutor. Lo, this is my older brother, Virgil.” He explained, gesturing vaguely back and forth between the two of them. “You know, from those pins?” He added in, looking back to his work. 

“...Oh, uh.. Hey.” Virgil said, giving a weak little wave. 

“...Hello.” Logan responded, matching the gesture. 

Roman only had to glance up to see that they were definitely looking each other over, much more than just a cursory glance. _Perfect_. 


	10. Chapter 10

Roman continued to act completely innocent, because he actually was, of course, it’s not like he did anything. He turned his gaze back down to what it was he had been working on, not paying attention to the two older students in the room with him. He couldn’t be 100% positive that those two kept up their enamored staring match for the minute or two that it took Roman to come up with a homework question for Logan, but he was pretty confident. 

Logan blinked a few times, suddenly remembering what it was he’d been doing and turning back to Roman as he asked him his question, immediately getting back into tutor mode and beginning to explain. Virgil took the opportunity to flee as quickly and as casually as possible to his room, silently shutting the door behind him so he could drag his hands down his face and curse any deity who may have been able to hear him. 

He ended up spending about a half hour in his room, working through everything he must have done wrong in that interaction, when he heard Emile getting home from work. Sneaking back over to his door, he quietly cracked it open, listening to the conversation. 

“Oh! Hello there, you must be Logan! Wonderful to meet you, I’m Emile.” 

“Hello, Mr. Picani, it’s quite nice to meet you as well.” 

“You can just call me Emile, don’t worry about all that extra formality around here. I‘m just so glad I was able to meet you, I’ve wanted to thank you for all the help you’ve given Ro. He’s been doing so much better since you’ve been tutoring him.” 

“It’s no trouble at all, I’m glad I’ve been able to assist.” 

“Still, I appreciate all the hard work you’ve done. Oh! Did you want to stay for dinner? You’re more than welcome to!” 

Virgil’s heart stopped in his chest, he wasn’t ready for that, he needed to reevaluate every life choice he’d ever made and contemplate his place in the universe and..

“Oh, that’s quite kind, M- ..Emile. But I should probably be getting home, my parents are expecting me. Perhaps next time.” 

“Ah, alright then. Well drive safe, Logan!” 

“Of course. I’ll see you next time, Roman.”

“Bye Lo!” 

Virgil listened for the front door, waiting until he heard it open and close before he slipped his own door shut, going back to doing what he could to keep himself from hyperventilating. Shit shit shit shit. He had a few minutes to pace before he heard those unmistakable heavy steps heading down their hallway, followed shortly by the slight squeak of Roman’s bedroom door. 

All he had to do was go to Roman’s room and calmly and subtly find out more about Logan. He was subtle, he could handle this. …Well, he was more subtle than Roman at least. Maybe he’d pull it off. Just breathe, it’s gonna be okay. He’s got this. 

The door to Roman’s room flew open, Virgil standing in the doorway and immediately chucking a small pillow right at his younger brother’s head. He dramatically raised a hand, pointing directly at him with an expression that was somewhere between mortified and furious. “ _You_.”

So that went well. 

The younger one did everything in his power to respond with surprise, to keep his expression neutral and innocent… But he and the other non-subtle disaster in the room may have had too much in common. It was like they were brothers, or something. 

Roman was immediately fighting back the smile trying to overtake his face, and losing. His mouth was trembling, his voice light and clearly trying to hold back laughter. “…Wh-what? What’s up, V?” 

He scowled in response, coming into his room and throwing himself face down on his younger brother’s bed. “Don’t play dumb with me. You know exactly what you did. You know you brought him here just to do this to me!” 

“…I mean, the library _is_ legitimately closed, _that_ bit isn’t my fault.” Roman shrugged, bringing his hands up. 

“You still did it on purpose!” He hissed, his face still planted in the blanket. 

“……. _sooo_.. What if I did?” He asked, leaning his face on his fist and his elbow on his knee, watching the dramatic puddle that was his older brother. 

Virgil took the opportunity to roll onto his back and stare up at the ceiling. “Then.. You are the cause of the suffering I must experience for the rest of my days.” 

He immediately had a pillow dropped on his stomach and chest. “Oh knock that off. You could totally get him.” 

The only response he got was an loud huff of disbelief, Virgil not even making an attempt to look at him. 

“Ugh, you’re such a pain. I wouldn’t have done this if I didn’t know it would work, you know.” Roman leaned back where he sat, crossing his arms. 

Virgil raised an eyebrow. “And since when do you know anything about relationships?” 

“Duh, you can spell _Romance_ without _Roman_.” He gestured to himself, obviously proud of himself.

“…. _what did I ever do to end up deserving you?_ ” Virgil muttered with exasperation, dragging his hands down his face. 

“Something amazing, probably.” 

That pillow flew across the space, whacking Roman in the chest and making him laugh. 

The conversation ended with Roman offering to give Virgil Logan’s phone number. But he was worried, he didn’t know what to say.. It was too much pressure. 

He asked again on Saturday. “Are you ready for it now?” 

“No, I.. I.. _Shut up._ ” 

Then Sunday. “…So how about now?” 

“I don’t know what to say! I can’t just text him out of nowhere!” 

Monday. “What about today?” 

“ _I still don’t know what to saaaaay_.” 

Everyday he’d check in, Virgil always answering in the negative, blushing and stammering. They did this each day until they got to Friday. But that was only because he didn’t get the chance right after school, since he had his tutoring session and Virgil had his therapy appointment. 

It was as they were leaving the tutoring session that Roman suddenly had a whole new idea. 

He turned to look down at Logan walking beside him. “…Hey Lo?” 

“Yes, Roman?” 

“About that whole thing that happened last week at my house… Do you want my brother’s number?” 

Logan blinked, his cheeks darkening slightly. He took a moment to clear his throat be answering. “…I would, yes.” 

Roman smiled, a grin spreading from ear to ear as he pulled out his phone. “Awesome. Here.” 

Virgil was just walking through the front door when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket… He swore, if that was Roman asking for a ride after he’d already made it all the way home… He pulled out his phone to read the message, but it ended up being from a number he didn’t know. 

“Hello, is this Virgil? This is Logan, Roman gave me your phone number.” 

Virgil’s eyes widened. Ohhhhh shit. Okay. Uhh.. “Oh hey, Logan. Yes, this is Virgil.” That text message took 4 minutes to write and send.

“I hope you don’t mind that he gave it to me, but I was rather glad he offered to.” 

“You were? Uh, I mean I definitely don’t mind. But I didn’t expect you to want it, exactly.” Another 6 minutes. 

“I do realize that we only met in passing, so I’m not trying to be presumptuous, but I was quite interested in your contact information… Perhaps to ask if you’d like to see each other again sometime.” 

“Hopefully for longer this time?” That one sent in about thirty seconds, him having sent it before he realized what he’d done, and allowing him a good minute or two to panic while he waited for the response.

“I’d have to hope so.” 


	11. Chapter 11

Virgil was basically floating, and by the time Roman and Emile got home, he had a date set. He was going on a date. An actual date. Emile was beyond giddy with excitement for his son, while Roman was clearly feeling smug that he was the one who got this all set in motion. But Virgil couldn’t find it in himself to be annoyed, even though Roman was an ordeal when he was feeling especially smug, because he was just so excited for his date. It was _tomorrow_. Which was great, because he had less time to stress about it. But also awful, because now he was going to cram several days of stress into less than a day. …Exactly 20 hours and 27 minutes to be precise. 

He had to figure this out, he had to stay calm, he had to be confident, he had to make this happen, he had to.. 

It was just after midnight when Virgil slipped into Roman’s room, just needing a presence near him so he wasn’t alone. Roman barely woke up when his brother’s weight shifted his bed, but it was beyond instinctual to just pull him in close and squeeze him slightly, leaning some of his weight against him as he went right back to sleep. 

The pressure helped, the sound of Roman’s breathing helped.. He wasn’t alone. He was going to be okay. It wasn’t long until he was also comfortably asleep. 

Once they awoke in the morning, Roman stuck by Virgil’s side most of the day to keep him from getting too nervous. Everytime he seemed to dip into a pit of worry, Roman was there with a joke, a distraction, a weird shower thought.. Something. All the way up until the younger brother insisted on helping him pick out what he was going to wear. Of course this led to Virgil collapsed back on his bed, while Roman picked through his wardrobe. 

“….dude, I know I give you a lot of shit for only wearing one color. But oh my god you’re like a damn cartoon character. Do you have _anything_ that isn’t black?” The younger complained.

“I do have a few things that are a very dark purple.” He piped up, still laying back on his bed and not looking at what Roman was doing.

That only made Roman groan more as he turned back to the project at hand. Eventually he tossed some clothes ontop of his brother, turning to leave the room. “Get all that on, leave the flannel open to show the undershirt, leather jacket on top, black socks, wear your boots. I’m gonna go get your makeup set up in the bathroom, I just need to get my makeup brushes and setting spray.” 

“…What’s wrong with my brushes?” He asked as he sat up, looking at the pile of clothes atop him. 

“Your’s just suck. Now get dressed.” Roman said as he left the room. 

Virgil rolled his eyes as he stood and began to change, getting everything on that he’d been instructed to before moving to join Roman in the bathroom. His younger brother was getting a couple things set up, then patted the counter with his hand. “Sit up here.” 

The older brother was going to argue or make some kind of comment in response, but he did want Roman to do this for him. So he popped up onto the counter, bringing him closer to his gargantuan brother and his stupid eye level. Roman immediately leaned in with one of his brushes, starting to tidy up the makeup that Virgil was already wearing, just tightening up his lines and bringing his eyeshadow a little less far down his cheek. 

“…how emo are you trying to be? Like.. ‘I’m gonna own my style’ or ‘this is a first date and I don’t wanna go _too_ hard.’” 

Virgil mumbled in response. “… _first date_.”

Roman just nodded, going back to working. It was only a few minutes before he pulled back, looking him over. “Okaaay. We’re good. Close your eyes and breathe out your nose.” Roman picked up his setting spray, waiting for his brother to follow the instructions before spritzing it over his face and then smiling. “Alright! Done.” 

Virgil slipped off the counter and turned to the mirror, looking himself over. As much as he hated to admit it.. Roman did a good job. It was his usual style, but tidied up. Not too over the top, not too noticeable. He turned to look up at him, giving him a small smile. “…Thanks, Ro.” He said softly. 

He just smiled in response, giving him a nod before looking him over again. He turned to the sink and quickly wet his hands before turning back to Virgil and styling his hair a bit. “…Alright, you’re all good to go. Now go have fun on your date, maybe by the time you’re done i’ll have cleaned all this emo ass black makeup out of my brushes.” Roman teased, giving him a pat on the shoulder. 

Virgil rolled his eyes but couldn’t deny he was smiling. “Alright, alright. He’s picking me up, and he should be here any minute. I’m gonna go chill in the living room.” 

Roman nodded, turning back to the sink and grabbing his brush cleaner. As Virgil left the bathroom, his little brother called out. “Text me if he doesn’t keep his hands to himself! He’s my tutor but I’ll still kick his ass!” 

He turned bright red, yelling back. _“OH MY GOD. SHUT UP FOREVER.”_

Of course Logan showed up at the time they agreed upon, right on the dot. So Virgil only had about 5 minutes to sulk before he said a quick goodbye to his Dad and rushed out the door to get to the waiting car. 

Virgil was in such a hurry to get out of his house that he somewhat didn’t think about what he was rushing toward until he was sitting in Logan’s car and turning to look at him. His cheeks immediately went pink, hoping that his pale foundation would do something in the way of assisting that little issue.

“…h-hey, Logan.” He managed, looking over to see his date.

“Hello, Virgil.” Logan gave a soft subtle smile, Virgil responding with his own little blushy version. 

“Uh.. Thanks for coming and getting me.” 

Logan nodded, turning back to the windshield so he could begin the drive. “Of course, it was no problem at all. I’m glad you agreed to go out with me tonight.” 

“O-of course. I.. I certainly wasn’t going to say no. I was just.. Glad you wanted to ask.” Virgil replied, stammering a little. He really hoped the entirety of this date wouldn’t be like this.. He needed to stay calm. He couldn’t let himself get flustered to the point of panic. He couldn’t let that happen.

But when had the universe ever been that kind? 

Virgil started to get a little bit stressed as they stood in line to get their tickets. There were a lot of people around them, what if the movie they wanted to see was sold out, should he offer to buy the tickets, would he stumble over what he wanted to say when they got to the cashier, what about- 

Logan stepped up once it was their turn, ordered the tickets, and paid for them. No questions, no fuss. 

They went inside together, it was packed with people. He needed to not lose Logan in the crowd, they needed to make it to their seats on time, they needed to decide if they wanted to-

“Virgil, did you want to get any popcorn or candy?” Logan asked, turning to him. 

“Uhh.. We’re gonna get food after, right? I can probably wait. Unless you want to. I’d be up for it if you really wanted to, uh.. Or whatever.” He answered.

Logan’s eyebrow raised ever so slightly, but he didn’t ask questions. “I’m perfectly fine waiting until afterward. Let’s go get our seats.” 

Virgil nodded, and they were off. They made it to their theater, going in to find seats… But it was crowded. Why did they do this on a Saturday evening, of course everyone was going to be here, and there definitely weren’t going to be any edge seats left, and he was going to end up sitting with a stranger on one side of him, and they’d be trapped in the middle of a row, and what if he needed to go to the bathroom - everyone would get mad at him, and he needed to turn his phone off and- 

“It doesn’t look like we’ll get too much space to ourselves, but I see a few near the back. Would that be alright with you?” 

He blinked, slowly responding with a small, slow nod. Logan once again seemed a bit thrown off by his response, but he just nodded and led Virgil back to the seats he’d seen. They settled and waited for the movie to start, exchanging comments through the previews until the movie started. 

All he had to do now was get through this movie. He was definitely far more anxious and on edge than he wanted to be, he shouldn’t have let himself get so stressed.. He was supposed to be enjoying this date… Why was he like this? 

Virgil was doing everything he could to try and calm down, he didn’t want to do this, he wanted to enjoy his date, he didn’t want to mess this up, he needed to bring his heart rate down, he- 

A sudden loud sound and unexpected jolt of movement on the screen was exactly what he didn’t need at the moment, but the shock from it was the last straw on his growing panic. His mind nearly went completely blank, somehow silent and screaming and too much and not enough and-

He felt something touching his hand.. Slowly prying his fingers off from where they were gripping the arm rest for dear life. Once they’d been removed, a hand slipped into his, interlacing their fingers.

After a moment, he heard a voice, quiet, but still firm and solid. “ _Virgil, listen to me, okay? Come with me, I have you. Just stand up and follow me. You are okay, just stand up._ ”

He slowly and shakily got to his feet, Logan immediately standing beside him and giving his hand a squeeze before he gently tugged him past the others in their row, down the stairs, and out into the hallway. Virgil was softly led against the wall and encouraged to sit down, finding himself settling against the wall with both of his hands held.

“Good, good. You did perfectly, you’re okay. You’re going to be alright. Just breathe, just focus on breathing.” 

It took several minutes, what felt like an eternity, before he felt himself actually calming down, able to look up and see those bright blue eyes… Looking back into his with concern. 

Virgil drew in a shakey breath. “…ssssorry.” He squeaked, but his hands were both immediately squeezed. 

“No, you don’t need to apologize. You’re okay. You didn’t do anything wrong. There’s nothing to apologize for. It’s going to be alright. You are going to be alright.” Logan reassured him. 

“But.. But you had to.. The movie.. And dealing with..” He said weakly.

“It’s just a movie, and I’m not dealing with anything. Making sure you are okay is more important. … _You_ are more important.” Logan’s voice was firm, unwavering… But soft, and caring.

They sat there as long as they needed to to let Virgil’s breathing get back to even, him leaning back more heavily against the wall. 

Logan broke the comfortable quiet, still holding his hands. “…Would you like me to take you home?” 

Virgil looked from Logan’s face to their hands and then back up. “….we didn’t get a chance to..” He let out a very small laugh. “.. _Talk_ very much. Could we… Go get some shitty fast food and eat it in your car?” 

Logan smiled fondly, a rare thing that was actually big enough to move his cheeks. “I’d absolutely love to. …Come on, let’s go.” 

He helped Virgil up to his feet, at first still holding his hand for stability.. But neither of them let go as they walked out of the theater and back to the car.


	12. Chapter 12

Virgil got home from his date feeling relaxed and happy, and he didn’t give his dad or brother any overly specific details… Just that it went better than he ever thought it could have. They were willing to let that be enough of an explanation, knowing that Virgil wasn’t one to overshare about anything, really. Of course Roman continued to be smug, still more than proud of himself that he thought to bring these two together. He took full credit, and was obviously very justified in doing so. If you asked him. 

His older brother didn’t have that difficult a time ignoring that, especially since he had a boy to focus on, more dates to go on.. And it wasn’t long before he officially had himself a boyfriend. Logan continued to tutor Roman, and thanks to his quick wit - was much better at stopping the younger student, and his commentary, right in his tracks. 

So with the exception of the fact that now they often had another member joining them for dinner or movie nights, and with the way they spoke to one another both Roman and Logan often felt as though they had gained a brother, things moved on as normally as possible. There wasn’t much time left of the current school year, and before they knew it it was summer. 

Logan and Virgil had both graduated high school, while Roman would be going into his second to last year. A Monday a few weeks into summer found Roman splayed back on the couch, taking up the entire thing with his large form, mindlessly throwing a ball up and down into the air above him. The other two teens made their way into the living room, glancing at each other before turning their gaze to the nearly 17 year old. 

“Roman, the nearby university is having an open tour today for recent high school graduates and upperclassmen, if you’d like to join us.” Logan offered, drawing the tall teen’s attention. 

He caught the ball and raised an eyebrow, looking over the both of them. “I’m not even an upperclassman.” 

“It’s the summer before you enter the second half of high school, that effectively makes you a junior, and therefore - an upperclassman.” He explained simply. 

“Oh. …But still, like.. No, though.” Roman answered eloquently, going back to looking at the ceiling and tossing the ball. 

Blue eyes rolled behind their smart pair of spectacles, while Virgil let out a little huff as he crossed his arms over his chest and addressed Roman. “Well what’re you gonna do instead?” 

“This.” 

“It certainly isn’t a very lu-” Logan began, but Virgil rested a hand on his shoulder for a moment before sliding it down his arm and slipping his hand into Logan’s. 

“Eh, just leave him, L. Let’s just get going.” 

“Very well. Have fun doing nothing, Roman.” He laced his fingers with Virgil’s before leading him toward the front door. 

Roman called after them. “I will! Have fun doing school shit, nerds!” 

The door shut behind them and they got into Logan’s car, heading off to the university. Both of them were planning on going to community college before entering university, but it still couldn’t hurt to go check out a nearby school to see if it was a contender for where they’d eventually transfer. It didn’t take long before they arrived, making their way to get a schedule and map of what would be happening and where. 

The main part of the morning was a fairly simple tour, seeing where certain buildings were and which classes were held in each. There were going to be specific presentations about the different departments and programs that would be held before a lunch break. They each wanted to attend different ones, and the presentation for the science program was across the school from the one for the humanities department, so they’d just meet up afterward to eat. Virgil was having a little nervousness about being in a huge room with so many people, but Logan had quickly become the absolute best at helping calm him down. …Well, maybe second best. It was debatable. 

Logan walked his boyfriend to the room where the humanities talk would be held, giving him a reassuring little pep talk and a kiss before he had to make his way to the other side of the school. Virgil took a bit of a steadying breath before slipping inside, doing his best to keep calm as he tried to find a seat that was hopefully by itself… Or at least not too surrounded… Or at least not next to someone who looked too intimidating.. 

He quietly found a seat and slipped into it, pulling out a notebook and pen so he could jot down some notes.

“Ooo, did you do all those drawings?” Came a voice to the side of him after a moment, Virgil slowly turning to actually see who it was he was sitting next to. He hadn’t paid too much attention when he picked the seat, he just saw someone wearing pastels and decided it was probably a safe enough bet. Glancing up a bit he found warm brown eyes behind round rose gold glasses, sitting atop round cheeks absolutely covered in freckles. He was smiling warmly and sincerely. …Sincerely enough that Virgil felt willing to respond. 

“Uhh.. Yeah. I.. Doodle on my notebook when I have free time.” He explained, lamely gesturing to the cover of his notebook that was covered in pen doodles. 

“They’re so good! You’re really talented.” The other teen responded, looking down at the notebook a bit more closely.

Virgil blushed a tiny bit, what was receiving compliments? He could hear Roman in his head telling him not to shoot it down, that he deserved nice things being said to him. “…Thank you, that’s… Very kind of you.” He managed, giving the other student a small smile. 

“Of course! Oh, I’m Patton by the way! Are you thinking about doing the humanities program?” He asked, still somehow seeming completely genuine. 

“Uh, Virgil. And yeah.. Psychology, I think. …You?” He asked, doing his best to make pleasant conversation. It had never been a strong suit of his, but this guy seemed like a marshmallow that came to life, so that helped.

“Yeah! I’m having trouble deciding between Anthropology and Sociology… I might double major, I guess. But I had been thinking about minoring in Global Studies…” He trailed off, bringing a hand to his chin as he thought. 

Virgil couldn’t hold in a little breath of laughter. “…You sound just like Logan.” 

Patton tilted his head to the side, a bit like a curious puppy. “Who’s Logan?” 

“Oh, sorry. He’s my boyfriend. He’s just really smart.. Double majors and minors and all that.. That’s something he’s been thinking about too.” He explained. 

“Oh! That’s really cool! I hope he figures out what he wants to do. I still have a year left of high school, so I have a bit longer to decide.” 

“Ah, that’s good. We both graduated this year.” 

Patton smiled that big contagious smile of his again. “Well I’m sure you two will figure it out! And maybe if we are all going to the same school we’ll run into each other! Hopefully we could all be friends.” 

He smiled back softly. “Yeah, that would be really cool.” 

Virgil swore the teenager next to him actually let out a happy little squeal, he was like some kind of tiny adorable kitten. 

The presentation started up shortly after, the two teens having to quiet down so they could pay attention and jot down some notes. Virgil got distracted a couple times by the pen that Patton was using, it was pastel blue with some sort of poof of feathers and fluff attached to the top. He’d had to look over a few times to understand what it was in the corner of his eye as it moved with Patton’s writing. It honestly suited him extremely well, seeing as everything else about him seemed to be equally as pastel and nearly as soft.

Once it ended, both students pretty happy with what they’d learned, they each apparently had had the idea to give the room a minute or two to let others file out first so they didn’t get caught up in the crowd. 

Virgil glanced at his neighbor, watching him slide his notebook into his backpack - yet another adorably pastel item, that was covered in all sorts of pins. They were mostly adorable animals, but there were stylized food items, sayings, and different rainbow themed ones sprinkled amongst them as well. There was something about Patton that Virgil honestly found very admirable. He was a teenage boy, still in high school, who clearly had a much less than conventional aesthetic - and seeing as that was something they actually had in common, Virgil knew that that wasn’t always an easy thing to be. But here he was, unabashedly and happily being himself.

That may have been part of why he spoke up after a few moments. “…Hey, Patton? Uh, it’s time for the lunch break now. If you wanted to, you could eat with me and Logan? If you wanted. No pressure or anything.” 

Patton immediately lit up, actually excitedly clasping his hands together just to the side of his face as he nodded. “Oh I’d love to! Thank you for inviting me!” 

He smiled in response, nodding as well. “Of course. …Do you think its time for us to head out?” 

The other teen looked around before nodding and slinging his bag onto his shoulder. “I think we’re good. Let’s go.” 

Virgil also put his bag on his back, going to stand alongside his potential new friend. As he pushed his seat in and turned to him so they could leave together, he paused as he took him in. 

If you’d asked him to describe the other teen approximately 30 seconds ago, he’d have said that he was very small. Or that he, at the very least, had “tiny energy.” The kind of person who seemed like he belonged tucked under someone’s chin with their arms around him, or sitting in someone’s lap and curled up against their chest. But now that he was standing up beside him, it was a completely different story. 

Virgil had to look up to make eye contact with him, him taking an instinctive slight backstep to avoid having to lift his chin too far. He saw Patton’s expression change somewhat, a bit like he was concerned at Virgil’s reaction to him. But the older teen just gave him another soft smile and nodded toward the exit. “Let’s go.”

Patton’s smile returned immediately, him nodding as they walked off together. Thankfully Virgil was used to Logan’s quick walking pace as well as Roman’s long strides, as he had to walk somewhat quickly to keep up with the tall teen beside him. Virgil looked up at him with a subtle side glance as they went, thinking. Logan was about the same size as his Dad, which meant only barely taller than him. Patton definitely had all three of them by a noticeable margin, though he wasn’t the biggest person they knew, seeing they all were all so used to dealing with R- ….. 

Oh. _OH_. …Oh, this was going to be _perfect_. 


	13. Chapter 13

Logan was waiting for Virgil near the outside of the cafeteria, looking over the map of the campus a bit more while he waited. The presentation he’d watched had been rather informative, this school could definitely be a contender for an eventual transfer. He was still looking down when he heard Virgil call out to him. 

“Hey Lo!” 

Logan looked up to greet him, a bit surprised to see his boyfriend walking along side another person. The two of them made a rather unlikely pair, as Virgil’s darker, edgier style had absolutely zero things in common with the pastel rainbow striped sweater and lavender pants of his companion. 

“...Hello.” He nodded in greeting, looking from the newcomer back down to Virgil. 

“This is Patton, I met him in the humanities talk. I invited him to have lunch with us.” He explained.

“Hello! You must be Logan! It’s nice to meet you!” Patton greeted cheerily, giving a friendly wave. 

“Yes, it is quite nice to meet you as well. ...I suppose we should get to lunch, then?” He asked, looking at the two of them. 

“Actually.. I was kind of thinking.. There’s not much really going on after lunch? Its mostly sports stuff and more general education stuff... So why don’t we go get food somewhere better than the school cafeteria?” Virgil offered, surprising both of his glasses clad companions. 

Patton and Logan both looked down at the map in Logan’s hands, skimming over the schedule to see that Virgil was right. Between the three of them, there wasn’t really much of anything that any of them would be all that interested in. They glanced at each other then back to Virgil, both shrugging a bit. 

“You do make a fair point.” 

“Sounds good to me!” 

Virgil smiled, something that the two of them took very differently. While Patton saw joy that the idea was going ahead, Logan was immediately aware that Virgil was up to something. 

“...So where were you thinking we should go?” Logan asked, eyeing him subtly. 

Virgil knew he was caught, his boyfriend was just too observant. But the emo just somewhat dramatically shrugged his arms, speaking lightly. “I dunno, maybe we could hit up that food court closer to the house? There’s a good selection for everyone, and we’ll be at the mall, so there’s more stuff to do. Hey, maybe we could even get Ro off the couch and have him come join us.” 

Ah. There it was. He didn’t know every detail quite yet, but Logan could at least be comforted by the fact that the scheme was clearly to do with Roman, which was rather par for the course if he was being honest with himself. “That sounds fine to me.”

“I was actually dropped off here, so I’d need to ride with you guys if that’s okay? I’ll just have to let my parents know what’s going on.” Patton explained. 

“Of course, I have my car here, so that’s no problem. I can give you a ride home later as well.” Logan nodded, getting yet another smile from the happy teen.

Virgil brought his hands together in a soft clap. “Perfect. Let’s head out, I’ll text Ro on the way to the car.” He nodded off toward the parking lot, the three of them setting off that way. 

As Virgil pulled out his phone, he heard Patton ask. “Who’s Ro?” 

“Virgil’s younger brother Roman.” Logan explained. 

“Oh okay! That’s fun.”

Virgil quickly sent off a text. “Hey Ro, come join us for lunch at the mall.” 

“Nah, I’m busy.”

“No you aren’t, you’re staring at the ceiling.” 

“Yeah, busy.” 

“God you’re the absolute worst. I’ll buy, just get your ass down there.” 

“See you in 15.” 

Virgil slipped his phone into his pocket, joining in to the light conversation as they headed toward the car, and then the mall. The three of them ended up walking through the mall, looking like a very unlikely trio of friends, to the food court, and standing somewhat near one of the entrances. 

“Should we wait for your brother before we get food?” Patton asked, looking down to Virgil. 

“Yeah, at least I have to. You guys can get whatever you like now if you want.” He shrugged.

“I don’t mind waiting.” Patton smiled, glancing around a little bit. “What’s he look like?” 

Virgil let out a soft breath of laughter. “Literally nothing like me. But don’t worry, you won’t be able to miss him.” 

Patton raised a slightly confused eyebrow, but didn’t ask and just went back to looking around a bit. He glanced over Logan’s head at the entryway behind him and paused in his tracks. While Patton and Logan were facing one another, Virgil stood somewhat to the side, facing between them. So he very clearly noticed something that caught Patton’s attention, turning his head to the doorway with a subtle smirk.

“Oh there he is! Hey Ro!” Virgil called out, waving a bit to get his brother’s attention. 

Patton let out a very soft “ _Oh_.” That Virgil only barely heard, but he definitely heard it. Which was the most important thing. 

Logan was more surprised than anything that Virgil had actually called out to Roman, it was not at all within his character. But seeing the darkening of Patton’s cheeks before turning around and realizing what was going on.. It was clear that Virgil was so invested in the plan that was clearly coming to fruition, that he’d momentarily forgotten that his number one rule in life was ‘ _don’t draw attention_.’ ...So this really ought to be good. 

It took Roman a moment to spot his brother, giving him a greeting nod before making his way over. As he stepped up, his attention wholly focused on his brother, it was very clear to him that Virgil was up to something. But before he could start to work out what it was, Virgil spoke up. 

“Hey, took you long enough. This is Patton, a friend I made at the school tour today. He’s gonna hang out with us.” He introduced.

Roman’s eyes went just to the side of Virgil’s, realizing quickly that he was looking at a rainbow sweater rather than a face. His eyes trailed up, it being no time at all before he’d found an adorable boy who’s gaze was locked back on his. Roman blinked, taking in adorable freckles and round glasses and fluffy curls and pretty eyes... Only somewhat below his own eye level. 

_Oh_. 

It all became very immediately apparent to Logan what Virgil had just done, and apparently it had gone off flawlessly. The two slightly younger teens were caught in some kind of staring match, and Virgil had never looked more smug and proud. He’d be keeping the thought to himself, but Logan had never felt the two brothers had looked more alike than when they were feeling especially pleased with themselves.

Someone had to break this up, and Logan was nothing if not efficient. “...Patton? I believed you mentioned getting fried rice? I’m planning on getting food from the same place. I’ll show you where it is.” He piped up, bringing the group’s attention back to him before he turned on his heel and began to walk off. 

Patton blinked, looking from Logan to Roman back to Logan to Virgil and then to Logan a third time, stammering a bit. “Uh.. Oh, uh.. Y-yeah, right. ..Yeah.” Before hurrying to catch up with him. 

It took Roman a moment before he slowly turned to look at Virgil beside him. As he put together all of the information at hand - Virgil bringing someone he met today to hang out, which was not like him, him offering to buy him food if he joined him and his boyfriend at the mall, definitely a bit weird, how cute Patton was.. All that added together to set a blushy, annoyed look on his face as he looked down at his older brother. 

Virgil was beaming, on the edge of laughter even, before he also turned and started off toward food. 

Roman caught up with him immediately, taking a few moments to find words as they walked toward his favorite place to get food in this food court. “.... _You did this on purpose_.” 

That laugh finally escaped. “Obviously.”

The younger groaned, dragging his hands down his face. “I am never going to forgive you for the rest of my life.” 

“Why? Pretty sure you should be thanking me.” 

“Because! I didn’t get a chance to make a good first impression! He probably thinks I’m weird and creepy and stupid!” Roman whined.

“Hey, hey... You aren’t creepy.” Virgil’s smirk grew even wider.

“I _actually_ hate you.” Roman shot him a glare.

“I know.” 

The younger brother let out another long whine, hiding his face in his hands.

”Ugh, come on, Ro. What was it that you said to me? I wouldn’t have done this if I didn’t know it would work.” Virgil responded, still smirking. 

“That was different! I’d spent time with Logan, I knew you two nerds would work! You met him today!” Roman was gestured dramatically. 

Virgil just rolled his eyes. “Look, he’s literally like a living marshmallow. He’s an absolute sweetheart, just talk to him. _But you know_ , with actual words this time. It’s gonna be fine.” 

The tall teen just groaned, eventually managing to order his food and definitely not letting his brother off the hook for buying him his rather large lunch. As they waited, Roman could easily enough look across the food court and see Logan and Patton. There was plenty of space and enough of a crowd that he knew they wouldn’t be able to tell he was looking.. But how could he not? 

Patton was adorable. His freckles and his round cheeks and those warm brown eyes.. Wearing that cute colorful outfit, not just anyone could pull off wearing something like that, you know. And his soft looking curls and that soft looking sweater and.. He was just so soft and sweet as a whole. Roman would have gotten stuck thinking about this boy even if he hadn’t been only half a head shorter than him - he seemed like the perfect size, like Roman could maybe go up on his toes a teeny bit and only _just_ lift his chin to perfectly rest his head atop his. Or even if he had been on the thinner side - he’d much prefer someone he could give a big, tight hug to without worrying about snapping them in half, and he spent a lot of time in the gym afterall. But Patton was just.. He was so perfect.

They hadn’t even spoken properly and Roman already had it bad. What was he going to do?


	14. Chapter 14

Patton had hurried off to catch up with Logan, not wanting to lose him in the crowd on the way to get their lunch. Once he’d made it to him and then to where they were waiting in line together, he began to fiddle with the hem of his sweater, running through his thoughts. Was he being … _Impolite_? He’d just made this new friend today and he immediately was crushing on his brother? There had to be some kind of etiquette for this, didn’t there? 

The line was fairly long, and while Logan knew that Patton and his long legs would have had no trouble catching up to him, he still took a moment to look behind him and insure he’d done so. The sight he was met with was of a rather nervous boy, fussing with the hem of his sweater, clearly somewhat lost in his thoughts. He’d seen Virgil do things like this, and it was a fairly instinctive reaction at this point to interrupt it before it potentially worsened. 

“…Patton? Are you quite alright?” He asked, looking up at him.

Patton blinked, quickly looking back to Logan. “Huh? Oh! Yes! Sorry, uh.. I must have.. Zoned out.” He explained, unconvincingly. 

Logan looked at him plainly for several seconds, not many held strong under his stoic gaze for long and he was quite aware of that fact. “….I am not going to press you to talk about a subject that you don’t wish to discuss. But if you would like to see if I could help you find clarity, I am more than willing to do so.” 

The taller boy fidgeted for another few moments before the figurative dam broke. “….do you think Virgil is gonna be mad at me?” He blurted out.

The comment managed to take Logan by surprise, his eyebrow arching high. “…No? Of course he won’t be. I.. For what reason would he be mad at you?” 

“Because.. I mean, I just met him today and I wanted to be friends with him and then with you and now.. Roman is.. I don’t want Virgil to.. It’s not like I ever would have thought that.. But I..” He mumbled, rambling. 

Logan reached out to place a hand on Patton’s shoulder and bring him back to reality. “Patton. Please listen to me. No one is upset, no one will be upset. I can tell you with utmost certainty that Virgil would be more than supportive of your interest in Roman.” 

“…How can you be so sure?” Patton asked, hopefully.

“Well, to start, neither of them would know subtlety if it figuratively pushed them down a flight of stairs.” Logan said, with such a ridiculously serious expression on his face that it only took a moment before Patton let out a sincere laugh, looking more relaxed. The corner of Logan’s mouth twitched upward at the reaction and he continued. “I can assure you, I know them both quite well. They.. Aren’t difficult to read once you get to know them. And I have a feeling you will be doing so very soon.” 

Patton blushed and nodded, still a little bit giggly. “I hope so. …Thank you, Logan.” 

“Of course.” Logan nodded, and the two of them went back to deciding what they’d be eating. 

The four of them reconvened at a table shortly after, settling down with two rather large and two normal sized meals. Virgil insisted Patton and Roman take one side of the table, seeing as he wanted to sit beside his boyfriend - and adding in that they’d be bumping knees 

under the table if they were facing one another.

Patton blushed and giggled a bit as Roman rolled his eyes, mumbling a snide comment about his short brother before digging into his small mountain of noodles. Logan was clearly amused by the antics of the brothers, and Patton was more than on board to learn the group’s dynamic and hopefully find his place within it.

They were all quiet for a bit, eating their meals. Patton glanced over to Roman a few times, before blushing and looking back down… Of course always missing when Roman did something very similar. Patton did once catch Logan’s gaze, the smart teen giving him a subtle nod toward Roman as encouragement. 

He glanced over to the very tall boy beside him, trying to find something to say. “…uh.. Roman?” 

Roman quickly turned to the side to look at Patton, trying not to seem surprised. “Uh.. Yeah, Patton?” 

“…What’s that you’re eating?” He asked, looking down at the mound of orange noodles. 

“Oh, uh.. It’s Mongolian noodles. The place lets you make your own, so as much as you can pile up in the bowl, as long as it doesn’t fall out, they’ll cook it up for the one price. You pick the sauces and mix ins and stuff. It’s really good! Well.. Seeing as you only put in stuff you like, you have to assume it’s good, right?” Roman answered, wondering when it was that he became such a rambly mess of a person. 

“Oh, that’s really neat! I’ve never heard of a place like that before.” Patton answered, giving Roman a smile. 

“Yeah, it’s the only way to feed him for a reasonable amount of money, seeing as he stacks the noodles like half a foot above the bowl.” Virgil commented, bringing their attention to him.

Roman huffed, rolling his eyes again, but Patton nodded with another little blush. “…I mean, it makes a lot of sense to me, I can, uh.. Definitely eat a lot too.” 

Virgil immediately began to flounder a bit, definitely only having wanted to tease his brother and hoping he didn’t upset Patton, he hope he didn’t ruin everything an- 

“Then I’d definitely recommend it.. It’s really good and actually filling. It’s not like when you eat a burger and then want another one in like 20 minutes.” Roman shrugged, pulling Patton’s attention back. 

Logan slipped his hand back into Virgil’s, giving him a reassuring squeeze to keep him from worrying. Especially seeing as Patton had lit up, clearly completely identifying with what the other two would have considered a _Roman-specific_ experience. “That’s a relief, I never want to be the one who asks everyone to go back to get more food with me, but then I end up just hanging out and still feeling hungry.” Patton admitted, looking bashfully at Roman. 

“Oh, I _hate_ when that happens.” Roman shook his head, smiling back at him for a moment before he blushed a bit himself. “…Do you, uh.. Wanna try some of mine?” 

“Oh, uh.. I mean, sure thing. If you’re sure.” Patton nodded shyly. 

“Yeah, no problem. Uh, here..” Roman slid the food closer to him. 

Patton reached over with his chopsticks, sticking his tongue out of his mouth a little bit as he concentrated - the technique was a lot different for noodles than for rice, afterall. Roman was melting just watching him, his concentration face was one of the most adorable things he’d ever seen in his life. 

Virgil was giving Logan some side eye, like he needed to make sure that his boyfriend was seeing this too. But Logan could only respond with a look that said, ‘ _You know we were no better_.’ To which he received an eye roll that could only be described as, ‘ _just let me enjoy this_.’ Logan just gave his hand a squeeze and went back to his food, ‘ _yes dear_.’ 

“…Yeah, they do this _all_ the time.” They both suddenly heard, looking up to see Roman smirking at them and Patton with his fingertips pressed to his lips like he’d never seen anything quite this cute. 

“Oh my god, shut up.” Virgil shot his brother a look, throwing a balled up napkin that bounced off his chest. 

From there the table conversation seemed a bit more natural, them talking a bit more amongst themselves until they finished up and decided to do a bit of walking around the mall. As Virgil and Logan naturally laced their fingers and began to walk together, Roman and Patton couldn’t help but glance at one another, catching each other’s gaze and quickly turning red. They averted their eyes immediately, going back to looking strictly forward and walking along with the other two. So this was certainly going to be fun. 


	15. Chapter 15

The four of them set off to head deeper into the mall, walking around until someone saw a store they wanted to go into. Store windows and displays did help get them talking along the way, Patton and Roman falling into a bit of conversation after passing by a Disney store. Thankfully that quickly seemed to be a topic that worked very well for the both of them, it carrying them all the way until they’d gotten to the first store they’d apparently be stopping in. 

Roman only glanced at the threshold of the store as they were about to cross it, huffing a bit and calling out to Virgil who was only a few steps ahead of him. “ _Really?_ Hot Topic?”

“What? It’s not like it’s surprising.” Virgil responded, not turning back. 

“Doesn’t mean I’m not gonna give you shit about it.” 

“No one is shocked.” 

The three of them followed Virgil inside, somewhat trailing him until the emo turned around to look at them and raised an eyebrow. “…You guys don’t have to like.. Just look at the stuff I wanna look at.” 

“…What is there for us to look at in here?” Roman asked. 

Virgil rolled his eyes with a sigh. “…Lo, there’s a bunch of space and galaxy stuff over there.” He gestured, them all watching Logan’s interest immediately pique and him walk off in that direction. Virgil then turned back to the younger two. “And I mean.. There’s Disney stuff over there, there’s clothes.. Uh, shoes..” 

Roman immediately raised an eyebrow high, while Patton made a bit of a wincing expression. Somehow they both conveyed the exact same thing even with such different reactions, causing Virgil to look down at their feet. Right. 

“Look, I forgot you’re a Sasquatch, alright?” Virgil rolled his eyes, looking up from those enormous red sneakers.

That got Patton to glance down as well, looking pleasantly surprised and letting out a little giggle before Roman could snark back at his brother. They both turned to the pastel teen, watching as he slid the side of his foot up against Roman’s, lining their heels up. 

Roman softened immediately as he turned to look down at what Patton was doing and then back to his face. “…Everything alright?” 

Patton looked up with a blush, his smile growing even wider when he had to look up to meet Roman’s gaze. “Yeah, I just.. I don’t know anyone with a shoe size bigger than mine.” 

That got Roman blushing as well, him glancing down to see how his red sneaker was clearly larger than the pastel blue one pressed against it. It took him a moment to let out a “casual” breath of laughter, trying to play it off. “…Well, I guess you do now. And uh, it’s kinda annoying. I mean, I have to order my shoes online. I’m like size 15 so I have a few sites I use usually..”

“Oh, maybe I should check out some of those. I wear like 12 ½ or 13, so It’s a toss up if brands have my size in store.. And when they do they usually aren’t ones I’d like..” 

Virgil took the opportunity to slip away from this conversation, he wasn’t really sure if this was flirting or not… It seemed like it should be, but the words didn’t exactly match the flustered blushiness of the tone being used. Either way, little brother plus flirting equals ew, so he snuck away to go back to his shopping and leave them to it. 

He had a good few minutes to himself before Logan joined him again, him turning to see his glasses-clad boyfriend beside him. “Hey, Lo. Not find anything you like?” 

“No, not really. They did have a few galaxy themed things, but nothing that really fits my style.” Logan shrugged.

“So no ties or button ups?” Virgil teased, leaning his head against his shoulder and wrapping an arm around his waist. 

He rolled his eyes fondly and put an arm around him as well. “Unfortunately not, I’m afraid.” 

“Alright, well we’ll go to the bookstore next then. Get you a fun encyclopedia.” He laughed, leaning up to kiss Logan’s cheek. 

“Sounds riveting.” Logan responded, leaning into his touch despite how playfully deadpan his response was. 

“Shall we gather the giants and go then?” 

“I believe they were heading toward the register, they should be done any moment.” He explained.

“They actually bought stuff?” Virgil raised an eyebrow, surprised. 

“…From what I could tell they found things for one another. Some sort of colorful pastel sweater and a Disney tank top. Hercules if I’m not mistaken, I think I saw the same one on the wall.” 

“Oh my god, those two are _so_ gay.” Virgil said, nearly giddy. 

Once again, Logan could only gesture to the two of them - two young men with their arms around each other in a public place, causing his boyfriend to shoot him yet another look that said, ‘I said just let me have this.’ The taller one fondly shook his head and led them off toward the register, finding that Patton was still ringing up and Roman was waiting to the side, already holding a shopping bag. The older two walked past, Virgil catching eyes with Roman and nodding toward the door to let him know they’d be waiting outside. 

The younger two joined them after a minute or so, and if they noticed that Roman was definitely carrying both of their bags, no one mentioned it. 

From there they headed off to the bookstore, the two groups splitting up as they began to peruse. Virgil and Logan had headed off in a specific direction while Roman and Patton wandered a bit more aimlessly. They came across a children’s section with stuffed toys at some point, them playing and laughing a bit until Patton found something that he just had to rush off and show the other two. 

Logan and Virgil had headed over to the astronomy section, Logan looking through the selection while Virgil had scooted down the aisle to astrology, occasionally teasing his boyfriend by offering titles from that section instead. It wasn’t that long before they realized that the younger two were on their way over to them. Virgil was generally pretty in tune with Roman’s distinctive sounding walk on hard floors, but this time it was the excited giggling from Patton that gave them away. They turned to the mouth of the aisle to see Patton appear first, smiling wide and with something in his hands, with Roman behind him, stalling a bit and looking more fond than the other two had ever seen. 

“ _Logan Logan Logan Logan!”_ Patton said excitedly, walking right up to him.

“…Yes?” Logan raised an eyebrow, watching him. 

“I wanted to show you this! Virgil said you liked space and I found this and look how cute!” He said giddily, holding out what had been partially obstructed by his hands. 

Logan reached out to take it from him, looking it over once he had it. 

“It’s a little plushie of the space shuttle! It makes take off noises if you press the button on the wing!” He explained, bouncing on his toes a bit. 

The smart teen was inspecting the small plush toy, clicking the button as he’d been instructed and them all hearing the sound it made. It was quite cute, but Virgil, and even Roman, could see that Logan was far more invested in it than simply looking at it for the courtesy of Patton’s excitement. 

It took him a few moments, but he slowly looked up at Patton. “…It is very cute, I’m impressed at how accurate it is to the actual shuttle.” He said, giving Patton a soft smile and causing the excitable teen to smile even larger, however impossible that seemed. 

Virgil stepped up to look down at the toy in Logan’s hands more closely, smiling at him as Patton turned back to Roman and the two of them left their aisle to go keep wandering around. “…You’d really like to get that, wouldn’t you?” Virgil asked, looking at him fondly. 

Logan looked a bit bashful. “…Perhaps.” 

His boyfriend quickly reached out and took it from his hands. “Well, _too bad!_ Because I’m gonna get it for you!” He said with a smile, rushing away from him with the toy. Logan watched him fondly, following after him after a few moments. 

The rest of the mall trip went just about the same, the boys going to different stores and just having a good time hanging out. Patton and Roman may have got a few more snacks over the course of being there - Roman bought the soft pretzels, but Patton got the caramel apples, and Logan and Virgil may have also left with a few other little souvenirs, but it was mostly just walking around and having a nice time. 

It did eventually become time to leave, them all over by the entrance closest to where Logan parked. 

He turned to look at all of them. “I do need to take Patton home, but I can come by afterward.” He offered, looking to Virgil. 

Roman blinked, remembering he’d also driven there. “Uh, if you’re just gonna come over anyway.. I could take Patton instead. It’s all the same, right?” He shrugged, doing his best to be nonchalant and failing _spectacularly_. Patton was already giggling a bit, seeing as he was equally as talented at subtlety. 

Virgil and Logan exchanged quick glances. “…I suppose that isn’t a bad idea, I’m a bit low on gas anyway.” Logan shrugged. 

“Yeah, then it’s no problem. I’ll take him back and then see you guys at home.” Roman nodded, but then turned to Patton. “…As long as that’s alright with you.” 

“Yeah! ..Uh, yeah, it doesn’t matter to me.” Patton also shrugged. 

“…I guess it’s settled then. See you in a bit, Roman.” 

“Drive safe.” Virgil added, turning with Logan toward the exit. 

“I promise.” Roman smiled. “Come on, we have to walk back to the food court, I parked on the other side.” 

“Okay!” 

Virgil and Logan took a few steps toward the exit before they both paused, glancing back to see the two tall boys walking in the opposite direction… And Patton softly slipping his hand into Roman’s.


	16. Chapter 16

Roman and Patton walked back through the mall, hand in hand. Roman had been quick to lace their fingers together once the other hand had slipped into his, smiling as Patton let out a soft giggle in response. They may have ended up taking a more scenic route to head back toward the car, more than happy to just be able to walk around together for that little bit longer. ...Maybe they’d also make an extra lap around the mall, just for fun.

Patton did at one point duck his head against Roman’s shoulder, blushing softly and seeming a bit like he was hiding his face against him. Despite the fact that that little move had the taller boy blushing, he paused to look down at him softly, tilting his head to the side in confusion. “...Is everything alright, Pat?” 

He turned those big eyes up to him, also pretty red in the cheeks. “...Yeah, sorry.. Just uh..” A small embarrassed giggle escaped him. “...Everyone keeps looking at us.” 

He nodded, thinking a moment. Roman was pretty accustomed to seeing people do double takes when they saw him out and about, or sometimes even just looking at him directly. But he was used to it by now, he’d been taller than most people he encountered for a long time now, and Patton - while not as out of the ordinary as he was, was also undoubtedly above average. So the two of them together were undoubtedly a bit of a magnet for more eyes than usual. 

But of course he just gave Patton a fond smile, shaking his head a little bit. “Of course they do, I don’t think they can help themselves. I mean, have you seen how cute we are?” 

That of course only had him giggling and blushing even harder, tucking in to hide his face more into his chest and giving Roman the opportunity to slowly bring up his other arm and give him a soft hug. With the shorter teen’s head tucked against him, Roman softly rested his chin atop his head, smiling a bit at how well they fit together. Patton brought up his arm to hug him in return, relaxing in his hold and relishing the feeling of being in the arms of someone even bigger than he was. They stayed there a long moment, eventually having to pull away so they could keep heading toward the car. 

This meant they did eventually find themselves standing in front of the Picani family car, neither of them wanting to have to begin the process of leaving. They caught each other’s eyes after a long few moments of stalling, both blushing and laughing a little in recognition of what they were both trying to avoid having to say. 

“......Hey, uh.. Do you need to get back home?” Roman eventually managed. 

Patton blinked, looking at him for a moment. “...My parents wouldn’t be mad if I stayed out a while longer, as long as they know what’s going on.” 

Roman lit up. “Oh, uh.. Do you want to.. Keep hanging out then? I just need to make sure with my Dad that I can keep the car.” 

He immediately nodded, smiling from ear to ear as they both quickly pulled out phones to hurriedly send texts home. They had to awkwardly hang out in the mall parking lot for a few minutes, but once they had confirmation that Patton was free to stay out as long as he was home before 10 and that Emile just wanted to be kept updated, they giddily slid into the car. 

They looked at each other with big dopey smiles for a moment before Roman glanced at the time and then back to Patton. “...If you want to raid a drive through, I know a really pretty spot we could go to sit and eat.” 

“That sounds great to me!” He nodded excitedly, smiling at Roman as he turned the car on and they pulled out of the parking lot.

Virgil and Logan made it home as they normally would, Virgil still feeling smug and pretty vindicated after all that had happened, but he wasn’t quite as focused on it since his brother wasn’t around at the moment. The two of them made their way inside, greeting Emile on their way to Virgil’s room. 

House rules were no SO’s in the house after 11 without specific permission, and bedroom doors had to be open. Including the one that led into the shared bathroom. It was that second part of that rule that made it so effective. Virgil would have been embarrassed if his dad had walked into his room and seen him doing anything more than giving Logan a chaste kiss on the lips, but if it was Roman who’d walked in on them? Oh, he’d have melted right into the carpet.

But seeing as they believed they’d have at least a good hour or so before Roman would be back, they made their way to Virgil’s room and laid back on his bed atop the blankets, just quietly talking and enjoying calm time together. As much as they loved to tease and banter, or to go out and do things, some of their most cherished time was when they were able to simply be alone together. Often times doing something completely unrelated to one another, but resting against each other as they did so. Reading and scrolling through tumblr, studying and listening to music.. It was peaceful and comfortable. 

They relaxed there for a while, not realizing how much time had passed until they heard Emile calling for them. 

“Boys! Dinner is ready!” 

They slid off the bed, making their way to the kitchen to see that it was just the three of them. Despite the surprised, they did what they usually would do to help Emile get everything together. Logan got the table set while Virgil grabbed glasses and got them all their drinks. 

“...Hey Dad? Where’s Ro?” Virgil asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“Oh, he asked if he could stay out a while longer. He said he’d be getting food before he was back home.” Emile answered, smiling as he sat at the table. 

“...I guess Patton didn’t have to get home too quickly then.” Logan added, digging into the dinner Emile had prepared.

“Guess not. I can’t imagine they’ll get up to trouble, not with Patton there at least.” Virgil said offhandedly, also looking down to his meal.

“He said that they’d be grabbing some fast food and then going to go hangout a bit longer. I told him as long as he kept me updated on what they’re up to. It’s not like I need the car again tonight. And I trust him.” Emile nodded, smiling softly as he also began to eat. 

The emo teen let out another laugh under his breath, rolling his eyes. “Yeah, sounds like one hell of a date. He does ‘ _put the Roman in Romance_ ’ or whatever the dumb thing he says is.” 

Emile's phone vibrated in his pocket, him pulling it out to make sure everything was still going alright. It was a text from Roman, only containing a picture. From a first glance, he could tell Roman was sitting on the hood of his car, facing out towards the overlook. In the foreground, he could make out two pairs of legs and shoes, both a bit larger than average. The feet were resting on the bumper, blocking some of the reflecting light. Not that it mattered much, as the majority of the image showed the sunset and it was beautiful. The shades of orange mixing together with the darkened shapes of the clouds to create a piece of art that rivaled that of long-dead painters. The bright, round sun was beginning to dip below the horizon. Everything looked so wonderfully peaceful.

He just smiled at his phone, slipping it back into his pocket as he went back to his dinner. “...Yeah, he really does.” 


	17. Chapter 17

It was only a couple weeks of Roman and Patton officially being together before Patton was going to come by to meet Emile and spend time at the Picani house. Roman had actually gone to have lunch and hang out at Patton’s house earlier in the day, and they’d be coming back to Roman’s for dinner and the rest of the night.

Logan and Virgil were already at the house, hanging out and watching some television in the living room. Emile had been in his office, getting a little work done before his dinner and movie night plans with his boys - and their boys. He didn’t finish up until the early evening, walking out to see the older teens leaning against one another while they watched their show. He couldn’t help but smile fondly as he looked at them, what could he say? He just loved his boys so much. 

Virgil looked up as Emile walked in, giving him a greeting nod. “Hey Dad, you all done for the day?” 

“Yep! I think I’ll get the pizzas ordered for dinner, Ro should be home any time now with Patton.” He nodded, smiling as he went to pull out his phone.

“Sounds good. I already got the movies set up, so we can just switch over when it’s time to eat and watch.” 

“Great! Thanks, you two. Alright... Let me think. How many pizzas do you think we should order? And the cheesy breadsticks, of course.” Emile smiled, looking up from his phone and back to the boys. 

Logan and Virgil considered the question individually before glancing at each other for a moment. They looked back to Emile, Virgil going to answer him. “...Five.” 

His dad seemed surprised. “Five? I don’t think we’ll need a whole pizza for each of us.” 

Virgil shook his head, looking somewhat amused. “It’s not a pizza each, its two for _us_ three to share, and three for _those_ two to share.” 

Emile blinked, thinking for a moment. That seemed like some pretty weird algebra to him, but Virgil looked confident and Logan was nodding along as well... So he decided just to go with it. As he was ordering he remembered that he was going to have four teenage boys in his house, so too much food wasn’t really a possibility. 

It wasn’t long after the feast was ordered that they all heard the key in the lock of the front door and turned to see Roman making his way inside. He smiled warmly and softly tugged the person holding his hand into view, revealing his slightly bashful pastel boyfriend. 

“Hellooo.. We’re hooome.” Roman called out, smiling as Patton came to stand beside him. 

“Welcome back!” Came Emile’s voice, him standing and moving around to meet them, not reacting externally to the boy holding hands with his younger son. 

_Internally_ , however, he couldn’t believe how cute and sweet he was! He was adorable and smiley and covered in freckles, and he could just see how happy Roman was beside him. He absolutely loved Logan and how wonderful he was with Virgil, but it was clear that Patton was going to be added very quickly to the list of his Favorite Boyfriends of his Favorite Sons. It didn't sound like an exclusive list, but when you took into account that he _only_ had two favorite sons and of all both of the boyfriends they had he only had two favorites of _those_ , it actually really was.

“You must be Patton! I’ve only heard great things!” Emile said with a smile, looking up at the precious teen. 

Patton smiled back, looking down at the eldest Picani. He certainly couldn’t be described as “ _intimidating_ ” in any sense of the word, so that was definitely helping his slight nervousness. “That’s me! It’s wonderful to meet you, Mr. Picani!” 

Oh, he was _beyond_ precious. “Aw, thank you. You can just call me Emile, alright? No need to worry with the formalities.” He replied warmly.

“Okay! Thank you for having me over!” He nodded, looking over to Roman with a fond smile. 

“Of course, of course. Now let’s all get comfortable, the pizza should be here soon.” Emile gestured toward the couch before walking over as well, the two boys following behind him so they could all settle. The two younger boys greeted Virgil and Logan as they got comfortable, Virgil taking the opportunity to switch over to the first movie they’d be watching. 

They made a little small talk, them all talking about what they’d done that day and sharing a bit about the week, until the food arrived. They laid out the fast Italian feast, digging in and starting up the movie. Emile glanced over a few times to see that Virgil had made a very good point, the two larger boys were easily making their way through the pizza and the sides. But it didn’t matter really, they were all happy, they were all together, they were all having a nice time. Those were the only important things.

At one point between films Emile decided to get up and discard the pizza boxes, unable to contain the fond smile that grew when he got a good look at the boys upon his return. Virgil and Logan were leaned into one another, Virgil’s head on Logan’s shoulder while the taller boy had an arm around him, while Patton was sitting sideways on Roman’s lap with one shoulder against his chest. The smaller of the large boys had snuggled himself into his boyfriend’s chest, allowing Roman to loop his arms around him and tuck him under his chin. All four of them looked so soft and content and... Just.. Happy. He rejoined them with a smile, settling in his armchair and getting comfy as they started up the next movie. 

The next one they’d put on was one of Emile’s favorite animated films, so he was happily watching with fairly rapt attention, not checking back in with his surroundings until it had concluded. And the sight he was met with had him absolutely melting. 

It seemed that that much dinner combined with quiet, calm, and cuddled up comfort had the boys drifting right off. All of them were out. Roman still held Patton close, his boyfriend safely and securely tucked into his arms like a large teddy bear, while Virgil was supported by Logan, both of whom had leaned more against one another in their sleep and were keeping each other propped up. The dad was beyond endeared by the display, these were just all such good boys.

Emile quietly stood, going and getting a couple blankets to softly lay on the two young couples to keep them warm, taking the utmost care not to wake any of them - even managing to gently remove the two pairs of glasses and place them on the coffee table. 

He went to make his way out of the living room, taking a moment when he reached the doorway to glance back and look over them one more time before he retired to his room.

Every so often, something would happen that would take Emile back to the early days of him and his boys. Memories just popping up for one reason or another, something in the present giving him a connection to the past. He couldn’t help but remember the first night after they arrived, tucking those two tiny boys into bed. They were all so unsure, so nervous about what the future held for them. He wished he could have pictured the scene now before him on that first night. Something that would have shown him just how perfect things would be. There’d be ups and downs, but nothing that could ever change what he’d been so sure of shortly after they’d come to stay with him.

He wouldn’t change any of it for anything. 


	18. Epilogue

Virgil pushed the door to the coffee shop open, only needing about half a second to spot his younger brother. Roman turned his head at the sound of the bells on the door, the two of them locking eyes and greeting one another with a nod as the older brother walked in and joined the younger at the table where he was sitting. Roman slid over a coffee cup before looking down at the notebook he had out in front of him, Virgil getting a sip of the drink before leaning in to see what he was doing. 

“So, any luck?” Virgil asked, peering down at what he’d written. 

“Yeah, for the most part. I was able to get ahold of a couple of his colleagues and they’re going to send me a few other email addresses and phone numbers so I can reach out... I was actually able to find Ms. Hall pretty easily, she’s planning on being there.” Roman explained, smiling. 

“Oh I’m so glad, she should definitely be there.. Should we get her a thank you card or something?” Virgil asked. 

Roman made a note in the notebook. “...That’s probably a good idea. Maybe a little gift along with it?”

“Yeah, that sounds good.” He nodded. 

“Cool. Alright, I’m pretty set on getting the guest list together. How’s the venue and the food going?” 

“Good, I found a few options that sounded good to me, but Logan is going to call and hammer out the details. He’s a lot more direct and won’t let anyone rip us off.” Virgil explained, pulling out his phone. “So I’ll be able to get you the exact address of the venue and the name of the catering place by the end of the day. 

“Awesome. I just need to get the details to Patton, he’s gonna put in the order to the party supply place.. He needs to know how much space needs covering and the general layout. I know he’s gonna go the full nine - balloons, streamers, banners..” Roman mumbled a bit, writing. 

“Oh, speaking of which, did we ever decide what the big banner is gonna say?” Virgil asked, looking over to him. 

Roman looked up. “Not exactly.. If we find one that just says Happy Fifteenth Anniversary, we could probably just pick it up from somewhere. Anything specific we’ll have to order.” 

“Yeah.. But I feel like we should.” 

“...I do too. What are you thinking then? Like... Celebrating Fifteen Years of Family? Picani Family Fifteenth?” 

“Uhh.. Happy Fifteenth.. Finding Us-iversary?” 

Roman snorted. “I’m gonna write that down, and if we go with that I’m gonna tell him it was your idea.” He laughed, sitting back in his chair and getting a sip of his own drink. 

“Oh my god, I’ll end you.” Virgil laughed, swatting his younger brother’s arm. 

“I’m just saying!” The two of them laughed together, going back to looking over the notes for everything they were planning.

Emile had been celebrating the anniversary of the day they met for longer than the boys could even remember anymore. They knew their story, they saw the pictures on the walls and in the scrapbooks, they were very aware that no one in their little family looked anything like each other. Roman with his naturally tan skin and light eyes towered nearly a full foot over his fair skinned older brother. And then their dad was textbook Irish, not a single of his features were present anywhere in either of them. But they couldn’t have cared less. They were a family. Roman and Virgil were brothers. Emile was their dad. That was what mattered.

But this date was an important one. It meant a lot to their Dad, and it was the day their lives were set on track to become what they were now. All thanks to him. So it was the least they could do to plan him a big surprise party to celebrate what had been Emile’s favorite holiday since they were four and six years old. They’d have loved to do something for the ten year anniversary, but they’d both still in high school and hadn’t really considered it then. But they were adults now, they had a lot more ability to actually put something together and have it be a complete surprise. 

So here they were, bringing it all together and making sure it would be perfect. The coffee shop near their house was a good spot for them to work on things, seeing as there was a far smaller chance of Emile overhearing anything. They knew their Dad did somewhat frequent this place, but they had a view of the door just incase and they knew he’d have already come through if he was going to, since he would be at work by now. So things were going smoothly. 

They sat there for a while, trying to be sure they had covered all of their bases, going over every single thing they could think of. Their drinks were long empty by the time they leaned back in their seats, looking at one another. 

“...I mean, I can’t think of anything else. Is that it?” Roman asked.

“I think so, I feel like we’ve got it pretty handled. I don’t really know what else we could really get him.” Virgil shrugged. 

“Alright babes, I’m out. See y’all tomorrow.” 

“Bye Remy!”

They heard a couple voices from behind them, them turning around to see someone walking out from behind the counter of the coffee shop. Something about him just drew attention. Maybe it was the obvious confidence, the leather jacket, the subtle streaks of silver running through his hair at the sides.. The boys glanced at each other for a moment... Maybe there was a reason their Dad liked this place. 

The man walked past them toward the door, slipping aviators onto his face fluidly and easily. Once they could see his back, a beautifully painted Pride motif on his leather jacket came into view. They glanced at each other one more time before beginning to get to their feet to quickly follow him out the door. This was something they had experience with. They’d each done it once already, why couldn’t they do it again? 


End file.
